The Curse is Broken?
by sempaiko
Summary: A romantic piece about how an eclipse temporarily breaks the Sohma curse. Will they even find out in time? The main pairings in this story will be as follow : Shigure x Mii, Kyo x Tohru, Yuki x Hana, and(trust me)Uo x Akito. COMPLETE!
1. TGIF

I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET

My first fanfic... please, be gentle. Rated PG-13 for later chapters. I hope you all like this premise. Please review and I always like suggestions. And please trust me with the Uo and Akito thing... it will turn out fine. PS- This is going to be a bit Shigure heavy since he is my favorite, and also because my sign from the zodiac is the dog. ..

Chapter 1 – TGIF

It started out as any other day. Tohru was busy preparing breakfast in the kitchen, Kyo was outside practicing some moves, and Yuki was still trying to wake up in his room. Shigure was busy reading the paper sitting at the breakfast table, eagerly awaiting the meal. He sipped at a hot cup of tea as he read the headline. There was going to be a total eclipse over Japan, but a heavy track of storms was heading in, so it was going to be near impossible to see it happening. Shigure's canine senses could already feel the storm headed their way. But his weekend was going to be nice and peaceful. He didn't have any more deadlines, and it was teen drama marathons all weekend long on TV. He really loved those.

Yuki came in and sat at the table, looking still a bit tired. Shigure smiled slightly. He had noticed the three becoming very close over the year since the 'incidents'. This was like a teen drama, only not on the TV. He sometimes wondered who would end up with who eventually. He knew Kyo and Yuki both loved Tohru deeply, and Tohru would have to decide one day. Truthfully, Shigure was rooting for Kyo. Shigure let out a small sigh as he thought about his own love life, or lack thereof. Come to think of it, when _had_ he had a love life? Feeling sorry for himself and his sexual frustration, he threw down the paper harshly, jolting Yuki to attention. He angrily gulped the last of his tea, and slammed that down as well. His usual cheerful face was replaced by a scowl, just as Tohru walked in.

She tensed up upon seeing Shigure, almost dropping the tray of food. "Sh-Shigure, is it something I did? Was I not quick enough with breakfast? If I was, I'm terribly sorry, please, I'll be faster next time..."

"No! Tohru, it's not you, I was just lost in thought." He said with a smiled, waving at her dismissively. She smiled back, happy it was not her fault he was looking upset. She set up breakfast, and called Kyo in from the yard. He came running in, looking really hungry. He took a seat, and Tohru sat next to him, and began to eat as well. Shigure noticed Kyo blushing as well as Tohru. Yuki didn't seem to notice anything.

Shigure looked down at his food, and his heart was feeling more at ease by the minute. It all looked so good. He picked up his chopsticks, and was about to dig in when the door flew open a brush of cold air gave Shigure a slight chill.

The small woman flew in and grabbed the chopsticks from his hand and literally shook him back and forth. Shigure knew exactly who it was. It was Mii, his editor. "Shigure Sohma! Why aren't you ready! Look at you! You should be ready to go!"

"Ready? Go?" He asked dumbly. She collapsed on the floor by his side, tears forming in her eyes. She shook her head, her short brown hair not even brushed.

"Shigure... please don't tell me you didn't just forget about your own book launch in the city! I've told you about it for months now... why aren't you ready? Don't you even have a calendar, you crazy, country, reclusive, writer... you..."

"My... what again? Book launch?" He asked innocently. Why did he agree to a book launch? And when? He didn't remember, then again, he was Shigure Sohma.

"Oh God!" She grabbed him and dragged him from the room. Everyone sweat dropped. Even more drops came out when in a matter of seconds Mii was back with four suitcases, and dragging Shigure by a neuse out the door.

"I'm sending Hari over to watch you all this weekend! With the storm and all, I'll be kinda worried. But also I don't trust you guys alone for a whole weekend together!" He cried out, and Kyo and Tohru tensed up. Yuki looked confused. Kyo gulped. Alone... with Tohru... oh and that damn rat. As if they were thinking the same thing, Yuki turned and gave him an evil glare.

"Quit staring at me, you damn dirty rat!"

"Shut up you stupid cat and shut your mouth before you have a boot stuffed up it!" Tohru was surprised at Yuki's comeback. He was usually somewhat dignified in his retorts, but this one was just plain... blunt.

As if breaking them up, Tohru piped up. "It'll be great then, Hana and Uo were coming for a sleepover tomorrow night. I hope Hatori doesn't mind. Oh but, maybe I should cancel..." She ponders this over. She starts to get nervous. She had been alone with the two before, but lately she was beginning to feel the friction between them. She knew they both cared about her a lot, but she couldn't just start going out with both of them (no matter how good it sounded). She had prentended she didn't notice their advances, but she couldn't do it forever. She loved them both, but could only be with one, which would cause the other to surely hate her. Oh, she was so lost. She really needed her mom at times like these.

------------

Hatori hung up the phone and sighed. Great, he was stuck babysitting three teenagers, whom he was sure, had raging hormones. And it was for the whole weekend. This was not going to be a very relaxing weekend. He went in to tell Akito that he had to watch the kids over at Shigure, when Akito said something that almost made Hatori choke.

"I want to come too." Akito said plainly, standing up and adjusting his robes.

"W-What?" Hatori managed to get out. This was odd, very odd indeed. What was he planning to do? "I don't know, Akito, if that's such a good idea. You know how..."

"I said I'm coming."


	2. Kennel

I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET

_Alright, here's the second installment. I appologize in advance if I screw up anything here, but I hope people will like what I've done. Okay, well, please read! and please review!!!_

Chapter 2 – Kennel

Shigure growled to himself as he was pushed into the car and strapped in tightly. Mii threw his suitcases in the back of the car and quickly got in and turned the ignition, and her foot pushed down hard and they were on the road. She was muttering something very annoyed. Shigure snuck a look over at her. Her hair was messed up and her clothes looked like they had been thrown on as quickly as her hair was done. But in a way, she looked kinda cute... especially with her skirt riding up her small thighs...

Shigure quickly looked forward. What was he doing? It was Mii, for crying out loud. He couldn't be thinking of stuff like that. There would be no way Akito would allow any of them to date people. But maybe that was why Shigure felt so frustrated... he had kissed a few girls, but that was in high school, and even then the jealous Ayame would shoo them away. Shigure feared that he would transform so he never really even considered a relationship with anyone. But nowadays he felt like he was missing something. And being around love-struck teenagers and high-school girls wasn't comforting either for his tiring nerves.

He frowned, a strange and bewildered look on his face, as he felt Mii fumbling around his hips. She yanked at the seatbelt to make sure he was strapped in tightly. He noticed a bit of sweat drip down his cheek.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight, Shigure. I know how you like to trick me... well not this time, buddy. We need to go to this book launch. Everyone wants to meet you. You can't just... run off again." She said, and Shigure nodded obediently. She relaxed a bit, at least knowing that Shigure wouldn't jump out of a moving vehicle... uh... she pressed the door locks quickly, laughing nervously.

-----------

Tohru was cleaning up breakfast as Yuki said he wanted to go out to his secret base to put up protection from the storm. Kyo and her were alone in the house until Hatori arrived. Somehow being alone with Kyo was making Tohru a little nervous. He walked up from the dining room, and smiled.

"You need a hand?" He asked.

"No, I'm fine." She replied, and he raised an eyebrow. "Really, I can do it! Um, you can start preparing lunch though if you want. I need some vegetables cut."

"You just made breakfast, and now you're making lunch?! That's crazy!"

"But Hatori's coming over, and I wanted to make something extra good for him since he's coming out of his way to watch us."

"I don't even see why he needs to watch us, not like we're gonna do anything funny..." Kyo replied, and then turned red at the thought. He turned around so she wouldn't see and quickly began to dice vegetables.

Tohru turned and looked at Kyo as he diced. He looked so handsome helping her.But he seemed nervous. He was chopping really fast. Maybe she shouldn't have given him such a sharp tool. She heard him gasp, and curse. She turned quickly and ran up to him. She was right, he had cut himself. She panicked.

"Blood! Blood! Oh Kyo! Oh no, we have to stop the bleeding! Towel, no, water, no, hot water, no, fire, no! doctor! Hatori! Oh no, he won't be here soon enough! Oh!" She was stopped by a firm hand, and she looked at Kyo as he held her with one arm, and the other held up to his face, his finger in his mouth.

He pulled his finger out after a while. "It was only a nick, don't get so upset about it." His free hand reached up and brushed her cheek right under her wide blue eyes. Somehow she was not calming down, and he suddenly realized what he was doing. He jerked away from her and headed towards the bathroom. "I'm gonna go get a bandaid." She watched him go, her stomach doing summersaults from his lingering touch.

---------

Mii slammed on the breaks in front of the hotel lobby and looked over at Shigure. He was still sitting there, looking very amused. He had that dumb smile on his face. Oh how that irritated her. He reached for his seat belt, but she yelped angrily "Don't you dare think about it. I'm keeping you under heavy surveillance."

"But I was just trying to get out."

"Stop right there!" She said and flew from the car and over to his side. She opened his door and reached arcross and did it for him. She pulled him from the car and to the trunk to get the luggage, and gave the keys to the staff, and proceeded inside. She dragged him to the lobby of the hotel, and to the front desk, announcing who she was. She picked up the key, Shigure still in her grasp, and stomped to the elevator. She got inside and flopped him down as they headed up several stories.

He sat on the floor of the elevator, Indian style, not wanting to move. He was really in for it now. There was almost no escape. He would have to wait until she went to her room. then he would quickly run down stairs and get a cab and head back to his house. Yeah, perfect. The door opened and she took his arm and straightened him, and went to his room, and opened it for him, throwing in his suitcases as well.

"I need you dressed and ready to go in an hour. Your first appearance is then in conference room eleven. She turned to leave to go to her room. She closed the door and headed down the hall. She was about to get in her room, when she stopped herself. She had just left him alone. She spun around and ran to his door, to see him already leaving it and heading for the elevator, still in his stupid gray kimono. He was running away! "Shigureeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!" She ran over and pulled him back into the room.

"Mii, really I was just going for a little walk." He lied, smiling sheepishly.

"No, you're not pulling that one on me, dammit. If I have to stay here and watch you 24 hours, I will!" She huffed and sat down in the chair, and saw him fidgit. "Get dressed." She said angrily. He nodded, giving up, and reached in his suitcases and found his black suit and white shirt and tie. (the same one we saw when he took kyo to take the high school exam – very sexy) She pointed to the bathroom, and he went inside to get ready.

She was being really bossy... and he kinda liked it for once.


	3. Friday Night Standoff

I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET

_My next installment... i hope someone, anyone is reading this... i feel so lonely. oh well... and some food for thought. we're gonna find out about Akito's past later on, and a hidden secret he's been keeping that no one but him knows about. hmm... what could it be... (sorry but i haven't read the manga, so if we already know about Akito in the manga... then im sorry that i made up a totally different one for him) okay, alright, people, please read and enjoy!_

Chapter 3 – Friday Night Standoff

Shigure straightened his hair a bit in the bathroom. He hated these things. Why did Mii drag him here? How did he allow it? He pulled his tie over his head and tried to straighten it. He could just try a sit-in. He could lock the door, and not come out of the bathroom. No, he would get hungry after a while. How long could he survive with food? His stomach already growled for lunch, and he sighed. Not very long, it seemed like. He reluctantly opened the door, and saw the frazzled looking Mii on the edge of the bed. She stood at attention and rushed up to him.

She closely inspected him to be sure he looked his best. She had to admit, he looked really good in a suit. She saw the tie, lopsided, and frowned. She reached up and grabbed it. The closeness made Shigure nervous that he would transform, so he backed away abruptly. But Mii was still holding onto the tie, and it tightened around his neck and started to strangle him. He stumbled back some more, and tripped over a suitcase and fell to the floor, taking Mii with him. They rolled slightly, and Shigure ended up practically ontop of her, except his arms held his body up from hers, as to not transform himself.

He might have found the position appealing, had he not had the curse, and the fact his lungs were burning, his throat beginning to sweel, and his face turning blue. Mii seemed stunned for a moment, but then realized she was killing her writer, and quickly loosened the tie. He gasped for breath and pushed himself up into a sitting position. He coughed hoarsly. Mii sat up as well and frowned. Was she blushing?

"Th-That wouldn't have happened if you hadn't jerked away from me. I was just trying to straighten your tie for you, geez... Am I that repulsive?" She said the last part almost under her breath. But Shigure's sharp ears heard it. He pretended he didn't hear it.

"Sorry Mii, I didn't mean to do that. It's just a reflex I have when people go at my throat." He replied, and looked over at her. "You can try again, I won't do anything weird." He extended his neck, but she just backed away slightly.

"I'd rather not. You can obviously take care of it yourself." She said, sounding a little upset. Shigure was confused. He then fixed his crumpled tie, and straightened his shirt and jacket. He stood and Mii jumped to her feet besides him. She pushed past him and walked to the door. She opened it, and held it open for Shigure. He quickly went out the door, Mii close behind.

Being that close to a woman was making his heart race. True, he was literally dying, but his lips were still inches from hers. But his torso was also inches from hers. It was a close call, way too close. If his arms hadn't caught themselves... he sighed shaking his head. His nerves were getting to him. This was Mii! He kept telling himself, the same Mii that would annoyingly follow him around waiting for him to finish his work, the same girl he would tease and trick into believe in anything he said. And yet, she was always the same girl... the same girl that his heart felt truly close to. He could tease her endlessly, and trick her, but she would always come back. She wouldn't quit if her own life depended on it. She wouldn't ever give up on him. She was still the same.

Maybe he would behave this weekend... maybe...

---------

Tohru and Kyo finished preparing lunch, and Yuki arrived soon after the chopping of the vegetables, and said he needed to clean up from working in the dirt. Kyo had said something about a dirty rat, to which Yuki responded by 'placing' Kyo in the yard with one swift kick. Tohru was trying to fix the door where Kyo flew through, when she heard a car pull up. She went to the door to greet Hatori.

When she opened the door, she almost fainted.

Akito walked besides Hatori up to the front door. He was dressed in normal clothes; a beige pair of pants and a plain black shirt. He had a long black jacket over his shoulders as well. Hatori was in his normal attire. But Tohru couldn't stop looking at Akito. Why was he here? He emmediately saw her nervousness, and smiled to himself. This was going to be interesting indeed. He couldn't wait to see the other two's reaction. Tohru managed to look over at Hatori, who –for his usual calm manner- looked a bit worrisome.

"G-g-good afternoon." Tohru managed to spit out, and Hatori nodded.

"Thankyou. Akito wanted to come as well, I hope you aren't too overwhelmed with too much company." Hatori said, and Tohru nodded, still out of it, sneaking a peak over at Akito, who was looking at the perimeter of the house, sizing up the place. He had never been here before. It looked simple and rustic almost, like a backwoods shack.

"Oh no! It'll be fine. If Akito wants to stay too, then more the merrier." She smiled, and led them in. "Oh, and Hatori, I don't know if Shigure told you, but my friends are coming over tomorrow for a sleep over. If you want me to cancel, then I will, of course."

Hatori was about to quickly answer her a 'yes, cancel', when Akito spoke up. "I don't think that will be a problem at all, miss Honda. I really want to meet your friends." He said. Afterall, he had nothing to worry about. A slight slip and he would make Hatori make them all forget.

"Really?" Tohru asked, feeling a slight bit nervous. She had seen Akito at his worst, and somehow she didn't think he would get along too well with her friends, especially Uo. She could just imagine Akito trying to talk to Uo. Eventually they would probably end up in a fist fight. And Uo being as tough as she was... She shuddered at the thought. Hopefully it wouldn't lead to that. Maybe she should cancel.

"Really." Akito replied, his voice actually sounding friendly. Hatori gulped. Now this was really starting to seem suspicious to him. Akito never acted this way. He was definitely up to something. Hatori feared this was going to be a rough weekend. There was a soft rumble of clouds and the sky got a little dark. The two made their way inside.

Tohru heard Kyo coming down the stairs, mumbling something about how he was going to kill that rat, when he saw Hatori. "So you finally made it huh, Hator- ah... ah! A-akito? Wha-wha?" Was all he could muster out.

"Akito?!" A shocked soft voice came from the hallway as Yuki walked up as well. Yuki looked even more shocked than the rest of them. Akito smiled over at Yuki. This was indeed going to be a long, eventful weekend.


	4. The REAL Friday Night

I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET

_I promise it won't be boring for too much longer... bear with me. I'm really into it, so hopefully i will be updating pretty often - that is until me three research papers are due next week! AH! - okay, well, please read. somebody... anybody?_

Chapter 4 – The REAL Friday Night

Shigure was forced to booksign and mingle with fans of his book and other literary authors in the conference room. But he hated being around so many people. A woman could bump into him any minute, and then he'd really be in a mess. A whole hotel full of people that Hatori would have to erase memories from. He tried to keep to the back, behind a table full of his newest books for people to buy and get signed. Mii looked frazzled, and was constantly trying to keep everything under control, even his stupid pen.

She was checking the ink in his pen, shaking it. Shigure had a lapse in people, and it was now just the two of them in the crowded room. He looked over at her shaking the pen, trying to get it to write, testing it on her hand. "Work, dammit, why won't you work? I gotta find abother pen..." She frantically checked inside her pockets and purse. Shigure slipped one from his pocket and set it on the table. He continued to watch her frantically search her body for a pen.

Maybe it was just because he was so frustrated with his love life, or he was extremely bored, but he was looking at her with something other than amusement. She looked really cute to him all of a sudden. The way she worried, and panicked, her hair getting messed up, he brown eyes wide with anxiety. He wanted to wrap his arms around her to finally calm her down, but he could never do that... not ever. Nonetheless, she looked so damn cute...

She saw him staring at her and panicked again. "What is it? Do I have something on me? is it a spider? I hate spiders!" She ruffled her hair, and swatted at her clothes. Shigure started laughing at her, but it was a gentle laugh.

"Settle down Mii. It's not a spider."

"Then why were you looking at me?" She asked, but he turned away to sign a book someone brought up to him. He smiled at the fan, and then noticed Mii looking very confused. "P-pen." Was all she said.

"Yeah, as a true writer I always carry around a pen. Mii, you should know I am a true writer. The pen is mightier than the sword, and since I'm no samurai, there's no need for a sword right? Hehehe." He said, teasing her.

She had stopped listening to him a while ago, and now looked glossed over. That made absolutely no sense. Why was he doing this to her? Why?

"Mii, stop that, you look like the village idiot."

She again thought, why? She tilted her head angrily. "Just sign the books."

---------------

They had all sat down at the table together to eat lunch, and the meal was long and quiet. It was lightly raining outside. Hatori was eating sparsely, eying Akito tentatively, who was picking at the food disapprovingly. Kyo was scarfing down, and Yuki wasn't eating anything, looking really nervous and scared. Tohru was trying to eat but her hand was shaking so badly she barely got a bite. She was so nervous! Akito was here... eating lunch with them.

Akito quicly excused himself though, and found a room upstairs and was not heard from the rest of the afternoon. Everyone seemed a bit relieved though. Yuki was pondering to himself, as was Hatori. But Hatori was hiding it by pretending he was reading a book on the couch of the living room. Kyo paced, and Tohru was trying to watch the weather channel.

"This is not good. Akito... here..." Kyo ranted, still pacing. He flopped himself down on the couch next to Tohru, making her shift slightly and lean closer to him. their shoulder's touched, and Kyo gulped. He looked over at Tohru, who didn't seem to notice as she watched the approaching storms headed their way.

"Looks like we can't see the eclipse afterall. That was the main reason I had invted Uo and Hana over tomorrow was to see the eclipse. But they're coming anyway, so..." She said, almost to herself. Kyo sighed.

"It'll be okay, don't worry. Maybe it'll clear up quick enough for you guys ta see. I'm sure you'll have plenty of fun even if you can't see the eclipse." He said softly, and Yuki looked up, startled at Kyo's kindness. Hatori noticed as well, and looked over at the two teenagers. Kyo was smiling kindly over at Tohru, who in turn was smileding as well.

"Thanks, Kyo." She replied, and put her head on his shoulder. It was bold of her, but she wanted to do it. She heard Yuki stand and walk out of the room. She turned and watched him go. What was his problem? Maybe she should go check on him. She patted Kyo's arm and walked out of the room after Yuki.

--------------

Shigure was getting hungry. They had skipped lunch, and now it was in the afternoon. He was famished. He looked over at Mii, with big puppy dog eyes. "Mii... I'm hungry, can we take a break?" He pleaded like a little kid. She looked around the room, to see it was dying down a little, and finally nodded.

"Fine. We'll eat. What do you want?" She asked as he stood up. He took off his jacket and draped it on his chair, and loosened his tie. Mii couldn't help but remember the incident earlier that morning. He had pulled away from her touch. Was she really that scary? And she had almost killed him. But when he almost fell on her, all she could think about was his strong arms and the sweet smell of frangrant tea that Shigure always seemed to smell like. She had loved that smell from the first time she came to his house. But up close it was even more attractive... oh god!

She mentally slapped herself. This was Shigure, the same creep that always tricked her, the same knucklehead that always managed to avoid her at all costs, the same Shigure that... always smiled that sweet and innocent smile, even if it was a bit childish. He was still the same Shigure... and yet for the first time she saw him as not just her troublesome writer, but as a... dare she say it... a man.

"Mii? Are you okay?" He asked.

He looked so different in a suit. All she had ever seen him in was that gray kimono. He looked really good. His hair needed a bit trimming, but it still looked good and simple and carefree. His eyes were big and sweet, almost like the eyes of a loyal dog.

"Mii? Earth to Mii?"

She had always loved dogs. Especially black labs. They were her favorite. She had always wanted a dog, but her parents would never let her have one. Her older sisters were allergic anyway, but she wasn't.

"Mii, this can't go on forever." Still no response. Shigure was getting a little frustrated. What was wrong with her?

She always wanted to get a dog once she was older. Maybe she would get one. A cute little black puppy. Yeah, that would be so nice... except she was never home. She was always at the office at a computer, or trying to track down Shigure, or trying to arrange meetings with her other writers. She had no time for a dog.

"Okay, Mii, if you don't snap out of it, I'm gonna go home right now." Shigure said, and Mii shook her head, snapping out of it.

"Oh no you don't! We're going to go eat, and don't you try and run away from me." She dragged him by the arm to the small eatery inside the hotel. Her tight grip with her soft hands was making his heart flutter. She really did look extremely cute. He really wished he wasn't a Sohma at the moment.


	5. Walk the Dog

I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET

_A/N: hello again ya'll! this chapter is a nice long one. i hope you like. (again it is a little Shigure heavy - but thats the way it's gonna be right now). and also! for those of you readers of the manga out there, be warned that this is in an alternate reality to the one that the manga is currently in. i am well aware of Akito and him being really a you-know-what, but in this particular story, he is not really a you-know-what, and if you have a problem with that, then please stop reading right now before i upset you furthur... that being said, i hope the rest of you will enjoy what i have to offer in this ALTERNATE version. really, this fanfic more follows the anime than the manga really, so again --**devoted fruits basket manga readers**, if you are easily offended by people not following with the manga plot twists, then please stop reading before i upset you... okay...... phew! sorry about that folks, just trying to cover all bases. anyway! READ!_

Chapter 5 – Walk the Dog

Shigure quietly ate as he sat across from Mii, who was eating very sporadically, looking a lot like a little bird. She was adorable in his eyes, as he stared at her from across the table. He had never noticed before that she held her chopsticks a bit strangely, tightly gripping them in her small hands as if they were going to fall from her grip any second. She was going over a schedule of some sorts. It was probably his.

He had considered the various options he had in means of escape, but suddenly eating lunch with her was making those thoughts drift away. When had he started to feel this way? This wasn't like him. Why was he feeling like he should reach out and hold that small hand of hers in his and make her hold those chopsticks a little more at ease? These questions filled his head and he soon shook his head of the thoughts.

He put on a bored look and whined, "Mii, can we switch meals? Mine is boring."

Mii frowned and looked up at him and then over at his food. His plate consisted of rice crackers, soup, and a bowl of chicken on white rice. It looked fine to her. She looked over at her drab salad that she was picking at. Why was he acting like a child? Then again... he always acted like a child. He was at least a few years older than she was, and yet he acted like a teenage boy. He could write like a literary genius, but his attitude made her want to scream sometimes.

"Sorry, Shigure, but I can't have any carbs, I'm on a diet." She replied and went back to going over tomorrow's schedule.

"But you look perfectly beaut—uh, fit to me." He replied, almost letting his mouth say something else. Mii didn't seem to notice, lost in her own thoughts. He sighed. "You really are amazing." He said aloud, and looked back down at his own plate as she didn't hear that last comment either.

-----------

It was already getting dark outside as Tohru walked to where Yuki was sulking under a big tree. When she approached her friend, he looked extremely agitated. "What's wrong Yuki?"

"Everything." He blurted out coldly. He then looked over to her worried eyes and sighed. "I'm Sorry, miss Honda, it's just with Akito here, I feel a bit nervous, on edge a bit." He said. Even though it was mostly true, he was feeling more frustrated with the blatantly obvious developing relationship between Tohru and Kyo.

"Oh, I see." Tohru said, even though she sensed that was not all. She built up the courage to ask him, "w-was it because I leaned on Kyo's shoulder?"

Yuki's eye twitched. "No, of course not."

"You're lying." She retorted, and Yuki was surprised by her forwardness. "Yuki, you're my dear and best friend, and don't try and tell someone like me a lie like that. It's bothering you, isn't it?" She asked, and he looked forlornly into her big eyes.

"I guess I can't hide my feelings from you . . . I should have known better." Yuki replied and then knew he would have to make the choice, right then and there. Even though he loved Tohru deeply, if being with Kyo would make her truly happy, then he was all for it. "Tohru, do you love Kyo?"

"Of course I do, I love all of you." She said, plainly.

Yuki shook his head and reached out and put two hands on her shoulders and looked down at her. "No . . . I meant . . . do you _love_ him?" He reiterated, and saw the moment of confusion in her eyes. But her vision became suddenly clear.

Tohru couldn't deny it any longer, and the fact that it was so obvious to even Yuki made her realize she did indeed love Kyo. She had always loved Kyo, ever since he came crashing through her bedroom's roof. Those times when he worried about her or made her soup when she was sick, or saved her countless times at school from bullies. She really did love him.

But Yuki! She saw his kind but disappointed eyes and knew she was breaking his heart. She knew Yuki had feelings for her, but now she was basically throwing them aside to concentrate on Kyo's. She felt so horrible. Why was she doing this to the people she loved? She began to cry softly. Yuki frowned and held her head in his hands and tried to wipe away the tears. "Oh, Yuki, I do love him . . . but I can't do something like this knowing that I'm hurting you. I just can't . . ." She cried some more.

He couldn't stand seeing her cry. "No Tohru! Don't! You can't give up before you even begin. I know being with Kyo makes you happy, and that makes me happy. Don't you see, Tohru, I love you too, but I won't be the one to cause more sadness for you, I won't be the one that stands in your way. I want you to be with the one you truly love, that's enough for me . . . "

"Yuki . . . why does this have to be so hard?" She asked in between sniffles.

"Love's often not an easy path to walk across." He said, and bent down and kissed her forehead. She smiled at the warmth, and closed her eyes. "I'll be your guide across it, Tohru. I'll help you whenever you need me. And I must say, you'll probably need me a lot, considering Kyo will surely make the path full of rocks and boulders." Yuki chuckled, and Tohru giggled. "So . . . when are you going to tell him?"

She went stiff and slinked to the ground in a heap of worry. "Ohhh . . . I can't now, not with Akito and Hatori here, and Uo and Hana coming tomorrow . . . oh Yuki, this is turning out to be a disaster . . . you're my guide right? Help me, please?"

Yuki smiled a genuine smile. "Of course." There was a gust of wind as the storms began to settle their way into the evening sky. "We better get in, it might start raining."

------------

Akito watched them from the upstairs window. What was going on down there? He would surely have to figure it out.

-------------

Shigure and Mii walked back to the conference room after eating to find it completely empty. Most of the people had left for the night or were heading out for dinner as well. Shigure felt somewhat relieved. He didn't feel like signing any more books. But now they had nothing to do, and he saw Mii tilt her head in thought.

What were they going to do now? Everyone was gone! She started to panic. Was it really that bad? Did everyone leave because they were boring? She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked over at Shigure, who draped his jacket over one of his shoulders.

"Let's go walk outside in the garden for a bit, huh?" He asked, and started to walk out the door.

"Shigure, wait! We need to get ready for tomorrow!"

"C'mon Mii, just for a little while. I could use some fresh air, how about you?" He asked, and she finally broke down and nodded. A nice walk might be nice. He led her outside and they walked quietly in the evening light in the large garden in the back of the hotel. There were small lanterns lighting the path as the sun began to fade in the distance against a colorful array of darkening clouds.

Mii sighed. This was actually kinda nice. She couldn't remember the last time she walked out in a garden. She almost never had time, she was always busy with work. It was really beautiful. And for once Shigure wasn't saying something stupid, or trying to run away from her. He was simply walking besides her in total silence. She looked over at him, to find him already looking at her. He tried to play it off by smiling a goofy grin and then looking back ahead as if nothing had happened.

There was a rumble of thunder as the sun finally ducked behind the mountains. Mii looked up at the dark sky and felt drops on her face. Then it began to pour. Great, and she hadn't even brought an umbrella. She felt a tug and Shigure pulled her out of the rain and under a low tree with a lot of leaves to protect them against the downpour.

She suddenly noticed Shigure basically had her pinned between him and the tree trunk. She shivered, looking away from him, and he pulled the jacket from his shoulder and placed it over her. She looked up at him, and saw an emotion she had never seen on Shigure. She couldn't quite place it, either. It was a mix between hopelessness and happiness, if that made sense. She couldn't tell what he was thinking.

She smelled that fragrant tea smell emanating off of him, and she couldn't help but think he looked really good with his hair wet, the dark strands sticking to the sides of his face. His white shirt was soaked, clinging to his wet body. His tie was crooked again. Being the perfectionist that she was, she reached out to straighten it, and to her surprise, he didn't pull away this time. He let her straighten it, and she felt her heart race. But why was it doing that? She felt nervous and peeked a look into his eyes again. This time his eyes were scared. He was scared of something. What was he scared of? She wanted to know.

He was scared that any moment he was going to . . . and if he did, then he would have to eventually face Akito. He had seen it happen to Hatori. He didn't want that to happen to him or Mii . . . he couldn't bear to see her not being . . . herself. A million what-ifs ran through his head. But even though he was scared about the future, he didn't want to pull away from her . . .

---------------------------

_uhoh..... well, isn't this getting interesting? anyway, you all are gonna have to wait a little bit for the next one.... oh, and special thanks to: **SeleneStarr** !!! You are the best! Thankyou so much for all the info and help!_


	6. The Storm Settles In

I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET

_AN: Hello everyone! Thanks so much for the reviews! Every time I get one, I'm inspired to write more, so keep it up! Sorry to leave you with so many cliffhangers! Anyway, please enjoy the next chapter!_

Chapter 6 – The Storm Settles In

But even though he was scared about the future, he didn't want to pull away from her . . .

'end it. . . .' He heard in his head as he stared down into her lovely brown eyes.

'end it.' He heard again as he placed a hand above her head against the tree.

'_end_ it.' It was growing louder as he leaned in closer.

'_end it_.' His other hand cupped her chin.

'_end it ! _' He could feel her trembling, and he longed for the taste of her lips.

'_END IT ! _' He panicked from the voice that was now rining in his ears. He quickly backed away, confused and breathing heavily. Reality sunk in to his racing heart and he shook his head. That was way too close. He was being too reckless. She could have made him transform. He blinked several times, and cleared his throat.

"We, uh, better get back in." His voice was a bit shaky and hoarse. "You know, before we're hit by lightning or something." He smirked, but it was greatly forced.

"R-right." She managed to peep out.

---------------------

It wasn't long after Yuki and Tohru came back in the house when there was a knock at the front door. Tohru answered, and to her surprise, Uo and Hana were standing there in raincoats and umbrellas. This was too many surprises for one night for the frazzled girl, and she stood stark still, unable to contemplate what was going on.

Uo turned to Hana. "See, I told you she's do that."

"True." Hana replied softly and walked up closer to Tohru. "I hope we have not imposed upon you, Tohru."

"Yeah. We thought we'd spend the night tonight too, and make a whole weekend out of it." Uo replied, and Tohru was still standing there, pale as linen. "Uh . . . I think we might have killed her. We're not harpies, Tohru, you can snap out of it."

"Sorry, sorry!" Tohru finally said, and bowed. "You just surprised me! Come in, I'm sure it'll be fine. Shigure had to leave somewhere on business, so he sent over a relative to watch us. I'll go ask him now." She led them in, and Uo and Hana took off their jackets and set down the umbrellas.

Kyo walked up to see who had come in and saw the two. "Ah, hell no, you're not supposed to be here until tomorrow." He complained, and Hana looked at him coldly and he felt a spark go up his spine. His hair stood on end. Then he looked over at Uo, who had pulled out a bat, mysteriously out of nowhere. "W-what I meant to say was . . . welcome and enjoy the weekend." He then turned to walk into the living room where Tohru had went.

Uo and Hana walked in as well, and noticed a tall man standing up talking to Tohru. Yuki was in the back of the room, and seemed startled at the early arrival almost as much as Kyo and Tohru. Tohru turned and smiled. "Hatori said it's okay!"

"This is certainly beginning to be a full house today." Yuki said, almost to himself. It would have been worse if Shigure were here too. He was sure that dog would have called Ayame, and then thigns really would have been horrible. It was bad enough with . . . Akito . . . he had almost forgotten he was still here.

As if to stress Yuki out even more . . .

Akito walked down the stairs, wondering what all the commotion was about. That, and he was getting a little hungry for dinner. He came up behind the two girls. One was about his height, and the other one was short with dark curly hair. The tall one was blond. As if sensing his presence, the dark haired girl turned and saw him. The blond followed suit, and she came face to face with dark eyes.

Akito felt something strange in his body. What was it? He was mesmorized by her dark blue eyes. He felt like they were familiar somehow. She slightly squinted, as if seeing something too, in his own.

Their trance was broken when Tohru came up to them. "Akito! You came down! Uh, I'm sorry, let me introduce you to my friends. This is Saki Hanajima. And this is Arisa Uotani."

Akito felt something else in his heart at the mention of her name. Why did Uotani sound so familiar to him?

"Hana, Uo, this is –"

"Aki. . ." Uo said almost under her breath. This was beginning to freak her out. Was that his name? By the looks from the people around her, it was probably pretty close.

"Y-yeah . . . Akito Sohma. He's the head of the Sohma family." Tohru finished. She felt weird. Uo was acting strangely, and so was Akito. Kyo was nervous and felt like running away from this awkward scene, but his damn legs wouldn't work. Yuki was on the verge of having a panic attack. Hana looked at the two with a curious look on her face. Hatori was shocked by the two's behavior. Why was Akito staring at the girl that way?

----------------------

Shigure got to his room and closed the door quickly and leaned against it. He closed his eyes. His heart was still racing. That was too close! "Stop being stupid!" He yelled at himself, and began to take off his wet clothes. (ow! take it off! –lol jk) He slipped into his familiar gray kimono and sighed. This felt much better. The wet clothes lay in a heap on the floor, and his thoughts wandered back to when they were under the tree. Seeing Mii drenched like that and looking so helpless had driven him nuts. She would be changing right now too . . . he shook his head and groaned in frustration as he fell down on the bed.

This wasn't like him! He was usually so carefree and sometimes very immature. He always had something to say and loved to make silly faces just to annoy people. Maybe it was because he was alone, and away from the kids . . . maybe it had been a little too long since his last kiss . . . maybe this was the real him . . .

It really had been a long time since he last felt a womans touch – and the occasional slap didn't count. But even when he did kiss, it really didn't mean anything because he knew the consequences. He had known about the consequences even when he was a child. He always feared of what would happen if he ever got into a relationship, so he had never really gotten close to any girl. No girl had ever meant anything, because he was always scared.

The thought of Mii as a meaningful person in his life made his stomach ache. It was a painful feelings, but also made him realize something . . . he saw her as something more than his editor. Suddenly, he longed for her company, her voice, her touch . . . NO!

"No!" He screamed aloud, and sat up, panting. He couldn't do this. He was sure he wouldn't be able to even see her again without feeling the way he did. He might even act on his instincts and pin her against the wall and devour her mouth. Would he be able to even control himself? He stood up and went to his suitcases, and began to repack them. He couldn't think like this! What about the curse, what about Akito? Would he be doomed from the start like Hatori? He didn't want Mii to change, he didn't want her memories erased, he wanted her . . . to be his. He was almost done shoving in the last of his clothes. Maybe escape was a good idea after all . . .

-------------------------

_oooooh. Poor Shigure, he's so confused! And yes, what is up with Uo and Akito . . .hmmm, I wonder . . .okay, well, I'm done with my papers, but now I have two exams! Will it never end??? Don't worry, I meant school . . .not this story. I hope to update in a few more days again. Until then . . . _


	7. Akito And Her

I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET

_AN: Thanks so much for the reviews. I've been writing these in my spare time at school between classes, so bear with me. And yet again, **devoted manga readers!!! : **this story is based more on our known knowledge of the anime series. I know about a lot of the things and side plots in the manga, but I thought my story would fit better into what we know so far in the ANIME. Please, if you are a devoted fruits basket manga fan, please stop reading if you are a stickler for things matching perfectly with EVERYTHING. This is not meant to match everything! My story won't quite work if you add in all the plot twists and relationships in the manga.... People..... please don't make me say this again. If you don't like it, then stop reading please before I really upset you with my own plot twists! And believe me, there are a lot, and they are pretty big! (especially with Uo and Akito.) so.... People.... Relax..... and enjoy. Oh god, it's getting late... nightnight time...._

Chapter 7 – Akito And . . .

Akito sat at the dining table and looked across at Miss Uotani. He couldn't help but feel a connection. But why with such a seemingly ordinary girl? It was her blue eyes, perhaps. They were haunting, almost . . .

Uo chanced a glance over at that Akito guy. He was staring at her! She couldn't help but keep the stare. She frowned, very confused. Why did he look so familiar? That face of his, so perfectly chistled. His dark hair, the way it rested around his face, and those dark eyes . . . that was what bothered her the most. There was something in them . . .

Hatori saw Akito from across the table staring at the blond friend of Tohru's. This was already beginning to be complicated. Something was wrong with Akito, and he didn't know quite what it was yet.

Kyo ate hungrily, ignoring the people down the table. He wondered why Tohru had sat next to him. Usually she sat next to Yuki or something, but this time, she was sitting next to him. They were almost touching! He reached for the soy sauce, and felt a hand also reaching for it. It was Tohru's. He felt a blush across his face, but he played it off by pushing the sauce over to her plate roughly. She thanked him kindly, and continued to eat.

Yuki felt somewhat relieved to have let all that off his chest. He really did want her to be happy. And he could see from across the table how much she really loved him. Kyo was being stupid and ignorant about it, as normal. He would really have to work hard to get Kyo to realized it too. This was going to be challenging. But he never backed down from a challenge. And he never backed down from a challenge like Kyo, either. He suddenly felt someone lean in next to him. He couldn't help but feel on edge, and leaned away. He looked to the side and saw Hana leaning in to talk to him secretly.

"There is something rather odd between a lot of the people here, including both my friends." She said quietly, and Yuki gulped. Was it that obvious? He looked at Akito and Uo and then at Kyo and Tohru, and sighed. He supposed she was right.

"I noticed it too." He replied, and Hana made a noise of agreement.

"I want to talk to you about it after dinner, if that is alright." She said, and Yuki frowned. Hana talk to him about the others . . . that was a little strange.

"Uh, sure." He said, and continued to eat.

-------------------------------

Shigure finished packing and practically ran to the elevator, and started his descent. When he got to the lobby, he saw panic and confusion. There were several people running around, and looking very preoccupied. Then he looked outside. He guessed he was too busy worrying about Mii, that he hadn't noticed it was flooding outside. He looked up quickly to a television screen. All the roads were being blocked, and everyone was advised to stay indoors. The area around the hotel was blocked by landslides and downed tree limbs. Was it really that bad? A tree fell down in front of the main doors.

Shigure was in the elevator, heading back up to his room in a matter of seconds. He was stuck. When he got to his floor, the doors opened with a chime, and he was face to face with the very person he had wanted to avoid.

"Shigure!" Mii exclaimed, and pulled him from the elevator, along with his suitcases. She was only in a bathrobe. He couldn't help but stare down at her exposed collar and little legs and hands. Her hair was still wet, and she looked really frazzled. "Shigure! You tried to leave! Don't you know it's flooding outside! Weren't you watching the news?! I know you're reckless, but dammit, why'd you leave?"

"I didn't leave. I'm here, aren't I?" He asked plainly. She got angry, and grabbed his suitcases and went to his room, and opened it and threw in his bags, and waited for him to follow them in. He walked in reluctantly, and she followed, slamming the door. "Why did you follow me in?"

"I know you, Shigure . . . you'll try it again as soon as the rains stop. I'm not gonna let you, even if I have to watch you all night." She said sternly, and sat down in a big chair and crossed her arms. "Go ahead, I dare you to try and leave."

Shigure sighed, feeling very defeated. This was really bad, though. How could he sleep with her right across from him, only in a bath robe? He stood there for a while in silence, contemplating his situation. He sighed finally and threw off his kimono. "Fine. Goodnight, Mii." He was only in his boxers and a small white no-sleeved grey shirt. He climbed into bed, and sat up against the headboard and stared at her. Was she blushing?

----------------------------

Dinner was silent and quiet, and Tohru was in the kitchen with Kyo doing the dishes. Hatori went to the living room to read, and Hana and Yuki had left to another part of the house, alone. Uo was stuck with Akito, alone in the dining room.

Uo tilted her head. "Hey . . . do I know you from somewhere?" She asked.

Akito frowned. "I don't think so." He replied coldly. It was a lie. He had felt it too. He knew her, and she knew him, but they couldn't quite place where they had met.

"Are you sure?" She insisted.

"No, little girl, I told you I don't think so." He replied bitterly.

She could sense an underlying anger. She stood and walked over to where he sat, and eased her way next to him. He turned and looked at her with a bit of disregard, and his eye twitched. "Look, buddy, I know you're lying . . . how did I know part of your name then?"

"Tohru must have told you."

"But she didn't. Why are you denying this?"

"Shut up, you don't know what you're talking—" He was about to scream further, except she placed a hand over his mouth to silence him. His eyes were wide in shock and horror. She was touching him. She was touching him! How dare she!

"Why are you getting so upset? Calm the hell down."

He tried to stand, but a strong arm pushed back on his shoulder, forcing him to stay seated. She was extremely strong. Akito was about to try and slap her, but he found his hand wouldn't work. It was raised, but it was quivering. It was frozen in place, twitching, right next to her head. Something was stopping him, holding his arm back. He was confused. What was making his stop? He didn't want this stupid girl to be touching him!

Then something in Uo switched on. She reached up to his shaking hand, and held it in hers. She laced her fingers though his, and immediately saw the panic in Akito's eyes. But he was not stopping her. "Oh, Aki . . . don't let her win." Uo said softly, her eyes slightly glossed over. It didn't even sound like her voice. "Aki . . ."

Akito shivered. That voice! He felt the darkness try to take over him again. He tried to scream out, but his scream was captured by a kiss. Uo's lips were firm and yet soft against his. His eyes darted, his body went stiff . . . and his hand held hers tightly.

------------------------------------------------

_in the words of neo: 'whoa'_

_What's gonna happen?_

_Yuki and Hana . . . . hmm . . . . huh . . . _

_WHEN is the KYO/TOHRU romance gonna show up, already?_

_This AKito and Uo thing is really weird . . . _

_Is poor Shigure EVER gonna get some?_

_WHERE IS THE DAMN ECLIPSE???_

_ALL COMING UP IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

_Till then . . . _


	8. IT Begins

_I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET_

_AN: Heya'll! I like reading the reviews, but people. . . . o.o; Anyway, okay, uh, **puffin** –you're close, but it's more complicated than that. . . . lol –drama- I love drama. Anyway, I bet you don't wanna listen to me, and wanna read this long and exciting chapter!!! Well, okay, I won't hold you back any more. Here you go!!!_

Chapter 8 – IT Begins

Uo snapped out of it and pulled away, statled. What had she just done? Akito had a bewildered look on his face. He was angry, confused, scared . . . He couldn't think of anything to say. She tried to stand up, but found her hand was still locked on to his. He wasn't letting go either. She looked over at their hands, as did he. They were holding eachother so tightly, their knuckles were turning white. Uo finally was able to pull free of his grasp, and stood up on shaky legs.

"Uh . . .uh . . ." Was all she could get out, and ran out of the room.

Akito was silent for a long time, trying to take in all the information in his head.

----------------------

Hana tilted her head, as if sensing something, but then seemed to brush it off and looked over at Yuki. He looked nervous. He rubbed at the back of his neck. "So, Miss Hanajima, what did you want to talk about?" He asked.

"Tohru and that Kyo boy. Are they . . . going out?" She asked, and Yuki fidgeted.

"No. But recently, Tohru told me of her feelings for Kyo. I told her I'd help her tell him."

"I see. You loved Tohru too. But you were the braver man to back down and let her have Kyo. I see indeed. Yuki, you are a good person. I think I will help you too. That Kyo boy is not going to be an easy target for poor, little Tohru. I think she will need both of our help, don't you think?"

"Yeah. Thanks a lot, Miss Hanajima."

"Please, just Hana." She said plainly. "You know, Yuki, I kind of know what you feel like. I was once jealous of both you and that Kyo boy. You were taking my Tohru away from me. I didn't want you to. But I realized I was being selfish. She wasn't soley my friend, she was also yours as well. Do you remember me talking to you after class?"

He remembered it was really bizarre. "Yeah." But it made sense now. He looked into her dark and mysterious eyes, and for once, was entranced. "I guess you were very brave too, then, for offering to help me with those two."

"Of course, Yuki. I only wish for her happiness, and if being with that kyo boy will do that, then I am always willing to help." She said, and Yuki felt something in his heart. That was exactly what he thought. She then smiled, and it didn't seem creepy at all to him. Her whole face seemed to light up. He found himself smiling too. "Let us see how they are doing . . ." They walked up to the kitchen, where the two were finishing the dishes. They peeked inside to see Kyo scrubbing some pots.

-----------------------

"Damn, Tohru, what the hell did you do to these pans . . ." He complained as he washed the pans. She hurried over to him, and stuck her hands in the water with his, and he started to panic as she assisted in scrubbing the pots, her hands touching his. She was being so bold . . .was she doing this on purpose to drive him insane? They were so close to eachother. Kyo couldn't help but lean in closer. He loved the smell of her hair. Soon they were holding hands beneath the water, gently rubbing.

Kyo wasn't sure if this was real. "Tohru. . . ?" was all he could say, his heart was beating so fast in his throat.

She leaned closer and . . . their torso's touched slightly . . . and . . .

----------------------------

Yuki saw what was about to happen and quickly pulled Hana away to distract her, but he couldn't think of what to do. So, with his mind panicking, he did the first thing he could think of. He pushed her against the wall and kissed her. He could feel her surprise and a slight tingle against his lips. Was she shocking him? He held her shoulders so that their bodies wouldn't touch. In the distance he heard a poof and water splashing around, and Kyo's angry voice. He had obviously fallen in to the dish water, and was now a very wet, and very distraut little cat.

But somehow, Yuki was preoccupied. Surprisingly, he found he was deepening the kiss, even though he felt poorly inexperienced. Hana's initial surprise was overshadowed with the increasingly intensifying kiss. Yuki was getting lost. . . the kiss felt really good. He imagined his first kiss would be with Tohru, but now that his lips were on Hana's, he couldn't have wanted it any other way. He felt a rush of electric energy through him, and his hands gripped her shoulders tighter. The energy felt extremely strong, but it also felt invigorating and wonderful.

It was when she tried to pull him closer, he broke the kiss, and backed away. He panted, and shook his head. "S-sorry . . . about that. . . . I uh . . . I'm sorry . . ." He then walked away quickly and up the stairs.

"Yuki . . ." She called after him, but he kept walking away. She started to think to herself. Her powers hadn't even sensed that he was going to do that. It was so sudden and unexpected, but she had liked it. Why did he stop? She completely forgot about the other two they were spying on and looked into the distance, pondering to herself about what had just unexpectedly happened.

------------------------------------------

Tohru giggled slightly as she tried to scrub the wet orange cat in her lap. She had felt so entranced with Kyo that she hadn't noticed their bodies had touched. And then he fell in the water! Cats didn't take too kindly to water, and neither did Kyo. He was yelling and cursing, and she had pulled him out and dragged him frantically around the kitched looking for a towel or anything. She had finally found one and was now on the kitchen rug, trying to dry the frustrated cat in her lap.

"Tohru, don't scare me like that!" He exclaimed, but she noticed he was purring as she wiped his shiny coat. "You know how I hate water, geez. A-and the h-hand thing . . ." He said, and he sighed. "You shouldn't do that to people you know."

"But Kyo, I wanted to . . .because I . . ." She stopped short. She didn't want to tell him like this. He was a cat, for crying out loud. And Akito and Hatori were in the other room. And Hana and Uo here. . . . it would just be chaos.

"Because you . . ." He tried to urge her on.

"I-I was trying to help, that's all." She said, and laughed nervously. Just then Kyo transformed back, and she tried to stand back, but he was on her lap, so he knocked her on her back, and he was above her, supporting himself with a strong arm above her head. She realized he wasn't wearing anything, basically on top of her . . .naked. She turned red in the face, but Kyo looked quite serious.

"You're a liar." He said softly, and tried to bend down his head to hers, but his hand slipped on some water, and he fell on her heavily. He transformed yet again, but this time hissed angrily and ran to the corner.

Tohru managed to sit up, and noticed her heart was racing. Was he going to . . .? She stood and excused herself from the kitchen shakily. Kyo watched her go, and spralled out on the floor and waited to transform back.

--------------------------

Tohru ran up to her room, and found that Uo was already there, sitting on the bed, her hand up to her mouth, looking really out of it. Tohru sat down next to her, and Uo smiled slightly. Before Tohru could get out a word of worry, Hana burst into the room, and ran up to them and sat next to Tohru. All three were on the bed together, and all three seemed very distraut. They all hugged eachother in comfort.

---------------------------

Shigure sat in bed, reading a book. It had been a few hours. Mii was still sitting there, looking very determined. He flipped the page. To be honest, he wasn't paying attention to the book, but kept stealing glances at Mii. She was getting tired, he could tell. It was getting late anyway. He sighed loudly, and set his book aside, and removed his reading glasses, and stared at her again. She was right there . . . in nothing but a robe. His carnal desires were getting the better of him, and thoughts flew in his mind of her.

But he could never do that. He was too scared, he was too much of a coward. How would she react if she ever found out about the curse? For some reason, he knew she would probably not care, but that was probably just wishful thinking.

He turned off the lights. "Goodnight Mii. If you trust me enough, you can go to your room."

"Ha." She said, before slowly drifting to sleep in the chair.

-------------------------------

The night at Shigure's house was relatively peaceful. Kyo couldn't go on the roof because of the rain, so he paced in his room for a while, then finally got to sleep. Yuki had laid in bed for an eternity awake, thinking, amazingly, not about Tohru, but about Hana, and the way his lips still tingled. Hatori had fallen asleep in Shigure's room, after reading one of Shigure's books. Typically, it put him right to sleep. Shigure's bed was very comfortable too, and Hatori realized how hard his own mattress was compared. The girls didn't talk much, and decided an early night would be good. Akito sat in the guest room . . .thinking . . . a small flock of birds had gathered in his room through an open window, and they were perched on his shoulders. He was stark still as he pondered to himself. He fiddled with a feather in his hand almost all night. He felt weird. Something was going to happen . . . something was going to happen . . . and it was going to happen soon . . .

--------------------------------------

It was morning before Shigure knew it. He hadn't gotten any sleep that night. It seemed like just moments ago he was tossing and turning, looking in the darkness to see Mii asleep in the chair. He sat up and looked over at Mii, who was still asleep, curled up in the chair. It was still dark in the room. he looked out the window. It was still raining heavily.

He climbed out of bed, and went into the bathroom to shower. He came out, with a towel draped over his neck. He had forgotten to bring his clothes in with him, so he redressed into his boxers and shirt. His hair was still damp as he exited the bathroom. He heard a gasp.

Mii looked at first very frantic. She ran up to him. "Shigure! Oh, I thought you had left while I dozed off!"

"Mii, I won't leave you." He said, and almost choked. That sounded just as real as he had meant it. Was he regretting it? She frowned and saw the earnestness in his kind eyes. He was so handsome, in his own goofy way.

"I know you like to trick me, Shigure, I just didn't—" She began.

"Mii, this time . . . I won't leave you." He took a step towards her. He could hold it back any longer. He didn't see her as his editor, but as a woman he cared deeply about. He wanted to know the feeling of her body. He wanted it so badly, his muscles were tensing up, and his stomach was wrenching together in knots. He wanted her. "Mii . . . I . . ." He started, getting a breath away from her, and she looked up at him with unsure eyes.

He clenched his fist, and threw his cowardice out the window. He reached out and pulled her to him in a tight embrace.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

_oh! cliffhanger! it's finally morning people! it's the day of the eclipse.... what shenanigans will occur? people! trust me with the Uo/Akito thing! it'll be fine ... i know it's getting a little ... uh, strange.... and just plain freaky .... but, it is going to work out fine. please note the birds and akito.... and if you notice in the ANIME (remember anime NOT manga) that Akito always has a bird present... hmmm.... what could that signify. (well for the manga readers, it would make sense why chicken boy is always by his side....) anyway! keep reading and reviewing please.... and i beg of you, no angry reviews... or small idosyncracies of the characters i might have missed.... i know i'm not an expert on fruits basket! I'm admitting it! this is purely for fun and excitment... so bear with me till the end.... is anyone reading this??? okay, next chapter will be up soon...._


	9. The Eclipse part 1

I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET

A/N: _Please forgive me little ones! I do not know how long an eclipse lasts, but in MY story it lasts pretty much all day. Forgive me if I am incorrect (which I'm sure I am) and just bear with me! I'm sorry, sorry, sorry if I am wrong (again, I'm pretty sure I am). Please, just take it –in this reality- that an eclipse lasts all day. Ok, thanks! Calm down, people, I'm writing as fast as I can! Remember, im a full time college student! (and no science major –hence the not knowing of the eclipse timeline) This is hard to do! But I'm really into it, and I can't help but write everyday . . . im a loser, I know. I bet you guys aren't even reading this A/N . . . I made the last chapter too exciting, huh? Ok, read read read!_

Chapter 9 – The Eclipse part 1

The birds were gone.

Akito woke up to a dark room. He heard the pattering of the heavy rain against the roof. He felt strange, empty almost, like something was missing . . . his eyes went wide, and he sat up. She was gone . . . she was finally gone . . . He was normal again . . . he couldn't remember a time he was alone like this . . . she was gone! A faint smile etched across his face, but it faded. She was gone, but for how long. How long did he have until she was back?

The curse couldn't have been broken . . . they didn't even know how to. . .

-------------------------------------

Mii would have enjoyed the embrace, except Shigure was probing her back tentatively. He was holding her tightly, but it felt awkward somehow. He felt her back like it was a science experiment or something. His breath was caught in his throat, and he made a little noise of curiousity. He had just showered, and he was still a little warm and wet, and he smelled really good, but Mii was a bit confused with Shigure's strange hug.

Why wasn't he transforming? _Why wasn't he transforming_? _Why wasn't he transforming?!!!!!!_

What the hell was this? Maybe he was in a dream. He pulled slightly back, but then hugged her again. Just to make sure . . . yep, he wasn't transforming. He felt at her back again, gently pressing her against him. She was still stiff in his arms. Wait! Maybe . . . no, it couldn't be true!

"Shi . . .gu . . .?"

"I've gotta go, I'll be right back!" Shigure let go of her and ran out the door. He headed down the elevator to the main lobby, and ran to the phones, and dialed the house. No one was answering. "Pick up dammit!"

-------------------------------------------

Hatori was already up, being the early riser he was. He had a cup of tea, and looked outside. It was still raining hard. He wanted to see the eclipse too, and now they were missing the first part of it. He sighed in defeat, and continued to read another one of Shigure's books.

The phone rang.

Who would be calling this early?

It rang loudly.

He slowly stood, and searched for the telephone. Where had Shigure put the thing?

It rang again.

He finally found one in his office, and picked up. "Hello, Shigure Sohma residence."

"Hari! H-Hari!"

"Yes. . . who is this?"

"Hari! The curse! The curse! What's wrong? Is it broken?"

"What are you talking about?" Hatori asked, bewildered at the frantic voice of what sounded like Shigure. "Is that you Shigure?"

"Dammit, Hari, I just hugged Mii, and I didn't transform! Hari! The curse! Is it broken?"

"What are you doing huggi –" It took just a second for it to sink in to Hatori's mind.

He dropped the phone, and began running up the stairs to Tohru's room. He burst through the door, and saw Tohru already dressed and getting ready to walk out the door just as the other two in the room were. But Hatori was too lost in his own excitement, and grabbed Tohru and hugged her.

Shigure was right! He found himself smiling. Tohru was at first surprised and very confused, but then realized he was actually hugging her! "Hatori! You're not—"

"I know!" He exclaimed, and pulled away from her. She was crying in happiness. He couldn't stop his own tears. "Tohru!" He exclaimed, and she laughed and hugged him again. Uo and Hana looked at the weird sight in confusion. Sweat drops rolled down their heads.

----------------------------------

"Hari? Hatori!" Shigure screamed into the phone, but there was no one there. "Damn." He cursed, and looked around in panic. He hung up the phone. Even if they were cured, would it really last? And Mii? It was like a dream come true. After so many hours of lusting . . . he could finally act on it? But no, that would be taking advantage of her, wouldn't it?

There was a ding, and he saw the elevator door open next to the phones. Mii ran out, looking around for him, in only her robe still. "To _hell_ with it." He muttered and went up to Mii and she turned and saw him, but before she could utter a word, he grabbed her head and kissed her.

The kiss was full of pent up longing, and Mii felt weak in the knees from the intensity. He quickly backed her into the elevator again, and wrapped his arms around her and held her to him tightly. She felt encredible in his arms! He would have never imagined . . . the softness of her, how light she was surprisingly. He pushed her against the wall of the elevator, barely noticing the doors closing. Her lips were so sweet, and he couldn't help but devour them tenderly.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and reveled in the feel of his lips. She had never imagined this weekend would end up like this. But she was not complaining. He was holding onto her, his hands like a vice around her small body. It was like he was afraid of her slipping from his grasp. She felt something on her cheek. He was crying. . . . but why . . . . He held her closer, and his kiss softened a bit, and he gasped for breath, and after he did, he breathed against her lips, "hold me forever . . . please . . ."

His words made her eyes sting with tears too. She kissed him again, holding him as tight as she could. They stumbled out of the elevator, and Shigure practically carried her to his room. There was much effort into getting the door open, but when they succeeded, Shigure lifted her and they fell to the bed in a heap of groping arms and hungry lips.

----------------------------------------

Kyo heard commotion in the room next to his, but was too tired to really care. There was laughing and lots of things moving around. He rolled in bed, frustrated by the sounds so early in the morning. Then his door burst open and he cringed at the hall lights. "Go the hell away!" He exclaimed, and threw the sheets over his head.

He felt a warm body fall ontop of his, and he frowned. What was Yuki doing? "Dammit, Yuki, if you sleep walk near me again, I swear, I'll . . ." He turned and saw brown hair under his chin. He sat up slightly, on one arm, and looked down. The small figure was holding onto him and he could see her crying. It was Tohru. "Tohru. . . what's wrong? Did Yuki do something? What's the matter?" He asked, clearly not noticing the obvious. She just held him, and sniffled into his chest. He really liked her hugging him . . . . wait a minute. . . . hug . . . ing . . . Tohru . . . hug . . . Tohru, hug, Tohru, hug, Tohru. . . . . . .

"Holy shit! Tohru!" Kyo exclaimed, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him. all she could do was cry into his shoulder.

"I'm so happy, I'm so happy!" She wimpered out inbetween silent sobs.

--------------------------------------

Yuki slipped on his clothes and went to the door. He saw Tohru dash into Kyo's room. it was so fast too. What was she doing? He then saw Hatori come running out of Tohru's room looking very unlike himself. Yuki had never seen him look . . . what was it? Happy? What was going on? He walked a little bit and glanced into Kyo's room. Tohru was already at the threshold, obviously on her way to him. She leaped at him, and flung her arms around him. why was she going to make him transform with Uo and Hana here?

There was no poof There was no tail, no ears, no fur . . .

Yuki found he couldn't breath. How?! And to make him flip out even more, Akito walked up to the crowd and . . . smiled -? Yuki thought he was going to have a heart attack. Tohru ran up and hugged everyone, that is except for Akito, who just watched from a distance. Kyo came out smiling as well, and Tohru took turns hugging all three of them, laughing and crying happily.

Hana and Uo looked on, the sweat drops VERY big now.

"What the hell?" Uo asked.

"What the hell indeed." Hana replied, surprised herself.

--------------------------------------------

_I agree with Hana . . . what the hell INDEED! Notice the Akito things well people, you must pay attention! It will all make sense soon enough. . . . hahaha HAHAHA **HAHAHAHAH HAHAHAHA**!!!!!!!!!!! ïƒŸ evil laugh.jk. oh, do I have fun things planned . . . sorry I could not elaborate more on the Shigure/Mii thing . . . it is pg-13 people. Although, lets think about what we've seen in movies that are pg-13 . . . I can't think of anything steamy at the moment. Hmmm, well . . . okay, don't expect such a quick next chapter, I have a many a assignments a due soon. Grrr . . . well, maybe next chapter I'll put in some steamy Shigure/Mii scenes . . how does that sound? Huh? Good idea? No? I'll keep it pretty pg13—if I can restrain myself, but that's only if I get an ok from it from you guys! Review soon!_


	10. The Eclipse part 2

_AN: Hello everyone! Personal notes: Selene Serenity –you are always so nice in your reviews, it always makes me so happy. And Girlwatershamen – I don't know if this'll come out on your birthday, sorry if it isn't. I tried, though! But Happy Birthday! (hands you a cake with pocky candles in it) Puffin –still very close, but it's more complicated than that!LOL! I'm so cruel aren't I??? You all just wait until you see what I have in store! Oh, some steamy scenes, but nothing more than pg-13, okay?_

Chapter 10 – The Eclipse part 2

"Akito! Do you know why this is happening?" Hatori asked him. Akito seemed a little on edge, though. He had looked happy, but it was fading as all the eyes landed on him.

"Yeah, did we break the curse?" Kyo asked.

"Akito, tell us." Hatori urged on.

He felt nervous. Why were they all looking at him? Did he know the reason? He felt scared. Hatori stopped as he saw the expression on Akito's face. He had never seen him like that before. He looked like a completely different person.

"Don't ask me, I don't know!" He screamed, and ran the other way, down the stairs. But before any of them could react, Uo tried to run after him, but Hatori stopped her.

"We need to explain something to both of you. I'll get Akito." He turned to the three other kids. "Torhu, Kyo and Yuki will fill you both in." Hatori left down the stairs to see what was wrong with Akito. Tohru turned nervously to her two best friends. Uo looked distraut, and Hana looked at them plainly. Tohru laughed nervously, and rubbed her neck. This was going to be a while . . .

-----------------------------------

Hana sat in silence after the long discussion. It all made perfect sense now. Those strange signals she always got around the Sohma boys. And when Yuki pulled away yesterday, he was just afraid of being transformed. She suddenly blushed at the thought of Yuki and his amazingly encredible mouth. She stole a glance at Yuki, whom she found to already be staring at her intently. His look was worried.

Yuki was worried about how Hana would take it. Would she be disgusted? Would she be indifferent? He thought he saw her blush, but it was very hard to tell on Hana. He hoped she wouldn't hate him. Her vacant expression was almost reassuring to him . . .boy, was that weird.

Uo was the one who was taking it the hardest. "Tohru, we're your best friends. You didn't trust us with this information?" She asked, and saw already she had discouraged and saddened Tohru.

"I'm so sorry, you two. I just couldn't tell you. If I did, then our memories would have just been erased. I just told you it had happened before to some of Yuki's friends when he transformed in front of them. Akito was also to blame for us not telling anyone."

Uo bit her lip. Akito. That guy . . . she somehow felt close to. "I'm sorry Torhu, I guess I'm just a little shocked. This is a lot to take in." Uo replied, and rubbed her temple. "Is that Akito guy cursed too?"

"Sort of. He holds the bulk of the Sohma curse for some reason. I don't know why, though." Tohru replied.

"Can he transform too?" Uo asked, and Torhu stopped and thought to herself. She didn't know that answer herself. Did Akito transform into a spirit if he was touched by a member of the opposite sex?

"I don't know. . ." Tohru said softly, and looked to Kyo and Yuki for support. They were oblivious as well. Yuki thought to himself, and Kyo pondered about this as well.

"I can transform." Came a soft voice from behind them. They spun to see Akito and Hatori at the door. They were all shocked, including Hatori. Obviously noone knew he could. "But it is not a spirit from the zodiac . . . it is something . . . else." He replied, and took a seat next next to them. "I'm sorry about my reaction before, I'm just not used to being . . . free of her."

"What are you talking about Akito?" Torhu asked.

"I was cursed with the angry spirit that originally placed the curse upon the Sohma family. She has gone away, though. I think it's because of the eclipse happening today, even though we can't see it, it's still there. So, if I am right, as soon as the eclipse is gone, so will this temporary cure. She'll be back within me again . . .controlling my every thought." He said, looking a little out of it, his eyes wide in fear.

Uo instinctively reached out and held his hand. Everyone was surprised by her boldness, and raised an eyebrow at this. Akito looked up into her eyes, and his eyes softened.

"You all have no idea what she has put me through. I almost never get a chance to be out, and when I am out, I feel weak, because she has made my body sickly. I don't remember sometimes what she has done. I remember blood sometimes, and fits of anger for reasons I can't see. I can't control her when she gets that way. Sometimes I can't tell if it's me or her out and in control. I get so confused sometimes, and angry myself. It's like I'm becoming her, and I can't tell who is getting angry, me or her. It's so confusing."

"So it was her who used to . . ." Yuki began to ask angrily, but his voice stopped. Akito looked up at him with pleading eyes that Yuki didn't even recognize. "It was always her who used to torment me? Do you remember any of it?! Why didn't you stop her, try and fight her more, so this curse wouldn't be like this? Can't you do anything about it?!" Yuki was getting frustrated. Akito was suddenly blaming someone else . . . all this time he had hated and feared Akito, it wasn't really him, it was the spirit possessing him?! He couldn't believe that!

"Yuki . . ." Akito looked scared. "I don't know . . ."

Yuki growled, and slammed down his fist. "I refuse to believe it! I don't believe you! You tormented me, and almost destroyed my childhood, and now try and blame a spirit within you! I can't believe something like that!"

"Yuki! Leave him alone! He said it wasn't him!" Uo exclaimed, and Yuki frowned, getting more shocked by her behavior. Why was she protecting him? She had just met the guy! Yuki settled down, and Uo did too.

"And what about you two, you seem very close all of a sudden." Kyo replied, voicing everyone's own thoughts on the two. "Do you guys know eachother or something?"

"No, but . . ." Akito tried to say, as he looked over to Uo. She looked at him, a little confused herself. They were still trying to work through that themselves.

"I think we do . . . maybe." She said, and he nodded.

"That's a bunch of bull." Kyo said, and stood. "This is going to drive me insane! We should focus on the matter at hand! We are free from the curse for at least a day, and we're sitting around talking about Akito! Shouldn't we be out hugging all the girls we can find?"

Kyo's lecherous words obviously hit Tohru hard. She wanted Kyo for herself, and now he was talking about hugging other girls! Did he even think about her? She stood up and walked out of the room, silently beginning to cry.

Yuki and Hana both shook their heads and said, "You stupid cat!"

Just then the power cut off, and the sound of the rain grew heavier against the roof.

--------------------------------------------------

Shigure's mouth was becoming increasingly desperate, and his hands were everywhere. Mii was a little overwhelmed by his boldness, but she hadn't refused him either. She enjoyed the feelings he was making her feel. Her robe fell slightly off her shoulders, and his mouth moved to the newly exposed bare flesh. His lips ran along her collarbone, and up her neck. Her mind had been racing with thoughts about the future and the consequences, and the rest of the book launch they were obviously missing, and the storm and . . . but suddenly it melted away as his hand found the tie to her robe and opened it. His hand slipped inside, and she couldn't help but tremble, a small gasp escaping her lips.

His mouth stopped against her neck, and his hand froze on her belly. What was wrong? He was frozen solid in place, except for his heavy breathing. She could feel his fast heartbeat against her own chest. "Shigure?" She whispered. She reached up to stroke his head. He pulled away from her, and was frowning.

"Mii . . ." He tried to say, but his voice was breaking. "I can't . . . I can't do this to you. I'm taking advantage. I'm sorry. . . ." He tried to stand, but she grabbed his arm. "Mii, please, I feel horrible enough for doing this to you . . . you must think I'm a jerk."

"Shigure . . . why? Was this supposed to be a one time thing?" She sat up, still holding his arm.

He looked down at her hand. He couldn't even look her in the eyes. If he looked into them for even a second he would be drawn in again. He loved her eyes. But he couldn't . . . what if this was only temporary? What if he couldn't hold her again after today? And was she right, was this a one time thing? Did he really consider her a one night stand?

"Shigure, tell me!" Her heart went out to him. She didn't like seeing him upset. It was so unlike him. "I'll be that if you want me to—"

"No! Never . . . that's why . . ." He looked up. He had done it. He looked into those soft brown eyes. He felt a tear again drop from his eye. "I want to keep you, Mii, but I . . ." He said, but his voice failed him. "I don't know for how long I can . . ." His damn voice just wouldn't work! "I don't know how I . . . would . . ." He shook his head, and pulled away from her hand. He stood on legs he couldn't even feel, and started to walk away.

He gasped as he felt her grab him and hug him from behind. He looked down at the small arms and hands that were wrapped around his chest, under his arms. He could feel her tears on his back through the thin fabric of his shirt. "Damn you, Shigure!" She cried into his back. "Don't run away again! You've done it to me so many times, don't you know by now that I know _all_ of your tricks? I won't fall for this one too! Dammit Shigure . . . don't you see . . . I love you." She confessed. She didn't want a reply from him, scared of what he'd say.

"But you'll only be hurt. Or worse . . ." Shigure said shakily. The feeling of her hugging him was bringing him to tears again. It felt so good, but it also hurt inside to know that it might not last. And her words. He never thought someone would say those things to him. he never thought he'd have the privledge. "You don't want to be involved with me, Mii, trust me, you don't."

"Shigure . . . I'm not going to let go. You asked me to hold you forever! Shigure, I said that I loved you, and I meant it! Why do you have to be so stupid?" She sobbed into his back. "You can be so stupid sometimes!"

He had heard her cry lots of times on account of him, but this time it was different. She was crying because she loved him, and that he was trying to leave. How could he do this to her? He loved her too, but this was all wrong! The curse could be back at any moment, and then he'd have to face Akito eventually. He couldn't do that. He couldn't! Her hands, though . . . her hands were locked tightly around him, and he didn't feel like pulling away.

He reached around and turned in her arms, so that he could hug her too. She cried into his chest, her arms around him, her hands resting on his shoulder blades. His arms went around her small body and he lifted her in his arms, and set her down on the bed again. He kissed away the tears until she stopped, and then captured her mouth in his again. They were so soft. His tongue gently rubbed against her lips until she opened her mouth wider, and he deepened the kiss so intensely, she gripped his shoulder in support.

He pulled apart for breath. He grazed her neck and then worked his way up to her ear and nipped at it. "I'm sorry I'm so stupid. I love you too." He said, and she smiled happily at the words, and brought his head up and kissed him again.

-----------------------------------------------

_awww! but yeah, 'neko baka!' Kyo's dense isn't he? lol. anyway, was this a good chapter? it was a little long, yes, and Akito's story is really hard to tell. does it make sense even a little? okok! Everyone is bugging me about Kyo/Tohru. I'm sorry! I am a little partial to Shigure, as I said in the first chapter. But i was planning on getting to the Kyoru thing soon . .. really i was... sure.... do not fret people, Kyoru will be joining the others soon. i promise! but it's a little hard! it's been done so many times before! i don't want it to be so much like all the other fanfics you've read. i'm having trouble finding a new, creative way to get them together. but i'm trying! really! bear with me, and please review! ps look at my profile for a special hint and prize!_


	11. The Eclipse part 3

I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET!

_A/N: Heyall! how are you? oh ok, then read! (this chapter is a little slow, sorry about that. i'm trying......)_

Chapter 11 – The Eclipse part 3

Tohru was about to run down the stairs, when the power went off. She tripped down instead, landing with a loud bang at the bottom. She groaned in pain. Stupid Kyo! But even as she thought it, she sighed to herself, sitting up in the dark. If he really didn't see her that way, who was she to try and force him to? If he wanted to hug lots of girls, she wasn't going to stop him, because that's what made him happy. She wiped tears from her eyes in the dark, suddenly becoming afraid.

"Tohru? Where are you? I heard you fall." It was Kyo's voice. It was coming from the top of the stairs. She heard him walking down. She didn't say anything, afraid of even facing Kyo after her show of running away in tears. She heard his footsteps close to her, and she sniffled. Kyo heard it, and reached around for her in the dark.

His hand caught her head, and he felt the soft hair of Tohru, and then trailed down to her face, to find it wet with tears. Dammit, why did he have to be an idiot! He bent down close to her as best he could, and found her face in his hands in the darkness. She was crying alright. She sucked in a breath, ragged and painful.

"Tohru, I'm sorry . . . for whatever I did or said. You know me, always doing and saying the wrong thing." He smiled, even though she couldn't see it. "I don't like you crying, especially over me. It's just not right." He said, and felt her nod in his hands, and he sighed. He wished he could see her face. His fingers felt for the tears and wiped them away. But then his fingers went lower and felt the soft protrusions of her lips. He caressed them with his thumb. She wasn't pulling away. Maybe it was because she couldn't see where to go to. Maybe she was too scared to move. Maybe she liked his touch. . . .

"K-Kyo . . . if you want to go hug other girls, I-I won't mind, I mean it's not like I'll have any problems with it or anything. I don't want you to myself, I want you to be happy, a-and—" She was cut off as Kyo pulled her to him in a rough, but sweet embrace. It was strange, hugging Kyo. It felt so natural and warm.

"Torhu, I said I'm sorry. Sometimes things come out of my mouth, and I don't realize what I said until after it affects someone. I didn't mean to hurt you. I really didn't mean that I wanted to hug a lot of other girls, but I was just sick of listening to Akito and his problems. Tohru, you're the only girl in this world I would want to hug. I'm yours . . . ." He said against her neck, and she felt like crying again. She wished she could see his face. But his arms around her was enough for now. She hugged him back.

A bright light cast down on them, and Kyo's eyes were blinded for a minute, not given time to adjst. Tohru was facing the other way. "Dammit!" Kyo exclaimed, and looked up to see Yuki and Hana at the top of the stairs, looking very –well, they looked ... . determined, almost. "Shut it off, it's hurting my brain!" Kyo yelled, and tried to turn away from the bright light.

"Is Miss Honda alright?" Yuki asked calmly.

"I-I'm fine, Yuki!" Tohru said shakily. Both she and Kyo stood and headed back up the stairs. "How is everyone else? I guess the power cut off from all the rain and wind." They got to the top and joined the others.

"Yeah, looks that way. We'll have to dig out the old candles and flashlights. I found this one in my room." Yuki said, and the four walked back to the room where Hatori, Akito, and Uo still were. "Well, what should we do now?" Yuki asked.

Several tummies rumbled.

"I guess we kinda skipped over breakfast, huh. But we can't make too much without cooking it. Let's see what we have in the fridge." Tohru said, and everyone headed downstairs.

-----------------------------------------

Meanwhile . . . Shigure and Mii were . . . . uh . . . . 'cough, cough'

-----------------------------------------

After the rummaging of the fridge, everyone retreated to separate parts of the house, with either candles or flashlights. Hatori had warned the kids not to do anything 'funny' while they were alone, and that even though their curse was broken for a little while, not to do anything 'foolish'.

Yuki and Hana went to Yuki's room, where they leaned against the wall to listen in on Kyo and Tohru's conversation in Kyo's room.Yuki realized how close he and Hana were, and suddenly thought of the day before when he had kissed her. It was at first just a panicked solution to get her to look away from Kyo transforming, but it had quickly turned to something else. And now she knew, and she didn't seem too phased by it.

Her back was to him as she listened closer to the wall. There was one candle in with them, as they had turned the flashlight off to save batteries. He found he wasn't listening to the muffled words at all, but transfixed on Hana's long and wavy hair. She had let it down, and it looked beautiful. He wanted to feel it against his skin. He suddenly remembered Hatori warning them. Even though they had told them with the 'real' Akito's permission, Hatori still had the power to erase people's memories. (a/n: yeah... why is that? How come Hatori's the only one with a special power? Oh, well) That meant no . . . . regular teen activities.

He had to behave, keep his otherwise controlled hormones in check. It was weird. Only a few days before, he thought he was madly in love with Tohru, but somehow everything was different. All he could see was Hana, and all he could feel is that electrifying kiss she had allowed him. his mouth still tingled from the kiss . . . and he wanted another one. But he couldn't. He sighed deeply in frustration, and leaned in to the wall more. It was getting muffled. What were they saying? He could barely hear.

Suddenly he realized Hana was leaned back slightly, and he was leaning forward, and they touched. Yuki instinctly tried to pull away, but stopped himself. He had nothing to fear. Yuki was never a man to really hesitate, and leaned in closer, against Hana's back. It truly felt so wonderful. Not transforming into a rat, the feel of her warm back against his chest. She leaned further back and into his chest, and he tilted his head away from the wall and put his face against hers. Her hair smelled really good. Like jasmine on a rainy day. He breathed her in, and couldn't help but lower his head to her shoulder and give it a light kiss. His kiss trailed up her neck, and then behind her ear, where she shivered. She leaned back more, and Yuki brought her into his lap and reached around to bring her face around so he could kiss her. That electric feeling was back, and he couldn't help but bring her closer, deepening the kiss.

---------------------------------------

Kyo and Tohru had been listening against the wall to hear what Yuki and Hana were doing, but they hadn't heard anything, not even talking. There was some muffled movements, but that was all. Then it sounded like someone banged against the wall, and Tohru and Kyo pulled away, startled.

----------------------------------------

Hana had become almost aggressive as she passionately kissed Yuki. She had spun around and was now practically ontop of him. his arms around her were surprisingly strong, though, and she felt weak against him. Strange, because Yuki didn't really look strong, and yet he was strong enough to hold her against him, and she wouldn't be able to struggle free. But she wasn't struggling free. She was kissing him back, her own arms locked tightly around him. He rolled her so he could be over her, but went the wrong way and hit wall. He grunted, but just rolled the other way and was ontop of her, almost losing breath because he was so absorbed in kissing her.

-------------------------------------------

"That bastard, I wonder what he's doing right now." Kyo grumbled under his breath. It was just like Yuki to not only beat him to a girl, but also to a make out session. Somehow, he always found a way to win. He sighed angrily, and then looked over at Tohru, who was blushing fiercely.

"I never knew Hana liked him." Torhu said sheepishly, and smiled at the thought that Yuki had found someone. That made it all the easier to tell Kyo how she felt. She knew Yuki had someone, and wouldn't be getting upset over her and Kyo. Her and Kyo . . . . she looked over at him, and saw that he was already staring at her. He blushed even more, suddenly feeling awkward. They were alone in Kyo's room together, with just the light of two candles reflecting shadows off their faces.

Kyo couldn't help but think how beautiful she was in the candle light. She was blushing a lot, and he wondered if it was from Yuki and his 'activities', or was it from himself? "Tohru?" He asked, his voice low and unsure. She looked at him, innocently. "I know this will sound weird, but I was wondering . . . . I don't want to rush you or anything, you know, to do something you're not used to, but I want . . ." He was trying to say, and Tohru felt nervous.

What was he going to ask her to do something? Something like . . . Yuki and Hana were obviously doing? Would he ask her to do something _else_? Could she do that? With Kyo, even? Was it too soon?

"I want . . . . I just want to . . . . hold you." He said, and his eyes looked into hers, and Tohru wasn't the least bit shocked.

That was something she could do.

Before Kyo could say anything more, she leaped forward and fell into his unprepared arms. He fell slightly back from her weight, but soon smiled, and laid down, wrapping her up in his arms. She felt so small against him, but he loved it. Why couldn't they stay like this? He wanted time to stop just for them. He never wanted this eclipse to be over.

-----------------------------------------

Meanwhile . . . Shigure and Mii . . . . were, uh . . . . 'finishing up', shall we say.

--------------------------------------------

Hatori heard some rustling up stairs above his head. He hoped those kids were behaving. He really should be watching them carefully, but then again, he understood that this was probably their only chance to be truly 'close' to a woman, so he had allowed it, since Akito had nothing to say about. Hatori wished he could leave and find . . . someone . . . . and hug them. He had never known the sensation truly, and was delighted at the feeling when just Tohru hugged him. he had really considered leaving, but once he looked outside, the rain and wind was getting worse, and the road looked pretty blocked from the rain and debris.

He wondered how Shigure was doing. He was the one who figured it out in the first place. Hatori picked up the phone he had dropped, and noticed the line was dead. He sighed, and wondered about the poor little dog. He had said he hugged someone and hadn't transformed. What was he doing hugging people anyway? He knew better than that.

Shigure was always the person Hatori figured the least to go and fall in love. He had always saw in Shigure a fear of commitment, and a fear of Akito, especially after Hatori and his love. Shigure was always the silly one, other than Ayame, and never seemed the type anyway to fall for a girl completely and totally. He always came off as lecherous and a bit of a pervert. He was always joking around and teasing everyone, never seemed truly interested in a relationship.

This all had Hatori pondering a lot.

-----------------------------------------------

Akito sat with Uo in the living room, a set of three candles burning in the middle of the table. He looked over at her, to see she was looking into the fire of the candles, and he noticed her brow deep in thought. She was trying to remember something, perhaps?

She looked up to see Akito was staring at her, a bit of confusion in his eyes as well. Whenever she looked at him, that name . . . why did the name Aki keep running through her head?

Why did the name Asa suddenly run through his head?

* * *

_A/N: Well, not so much of a cliffhanger. Some nice scenes huh? Okokok, the Kyoru thing wasn't as great as the others, but still, they had their 'moments'. Uh..... sorry it's been a little while..... I've been trying to get myself off this addiction --it's called the Sims 2. I used to be addicted to the first one, but now. . .. with this one. . . . I can make really nice houses and people .. . . I'm so crazy. I need to get away. (I even made a little shigure house –it's so damn cute) oh well . . .. hope to update soon. Everyone read my profile, and check out my favorites. (especially if you like yugioh and kaiba/tea pairings (I DO!)) I want to make a kaiba/tea fanfic, but im afraid all the scenarios have been done already, and sometimes more than once . . . okay, well, gotta go. It's very late, and I have class tomorrow. –oh, in case anyone is following these and actually reading this, I got a A- on both my reports –YAY! Now I need to see wha ti did on my exam... ;) okay, bye!_


	12. The Eclipse part 4

I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET!

_A/N: Hello everyone! Back again! It's an ok day today. Got a raise at work, and another A on another paper of mine! Yay! Well, I won't keep you long. WARNING, though: there are some pretty 'steamy' scenes in here between certain people. Nothing R, strictly pg-13, as there aren't many details. Okay, read on!_

Chapter 12 – The Eclipse part 4

Uo stared at Akito in the dim light, and scowled. He was staring back at her in the same fashion. Even though they seemed to remember eachother in some form or another, Akito still felt uncomfortable. His eyes narrowed.

"What is it?" He asked, a tad bit of annoyance in it.

"This curse really is strange. I wonder why the spirit cursed your family. There must be some explaination, right? Your ancestors – maybe they killed her, and this is a dead, evil spirit haunting your family." She said, but didn't expect his snappy comeback.

"I didn't kill her!" He exclaimed angrily, but then bit his lip at the realization that that wasn't his voice, or his thoughts. He had just said it, it had rolled off his tongue at the very mention of her. "S-sorry, I don't know what. . . . got into me." He looked away from Uo's startled eyes.

"That was odd." She mumbled. He heard her.

"I'm sorry for yelling. . . . . Maybe I haven't gotten rid of her during this eclipse, or maybe this is who I really am. I'm so confused right now." He looked at the flickering shadows against the wall. He could see his shadow, and Uo's. was she moving towards him, or was it the flicker of the flames. He turned, and saw she was extremely close to him, her face inches from his. Her eyes looked glazed, glossed over. She didn't look herself.

"Aki . . . ." She breathed against his lips. That voice again! It wasn't hers, it was someone else's. And suddenly Akito blanked out too, his eyes glossing over as well.

"Asa . . ." He said back to her in his own foreign voice. He placed his lips on hers knowingly, as if he had done it a thousand times before. She accepted the kiss and placed her hands on his chest, and he ran his hands through her long hair.

There was a flash, and both Akito and Uo saw two familiar figures kissing in the dark. They were familiar, but no more than that. The man was thin, but muscular, as was seen as he took off his shirt. The woman was tall and thin, with a wonderful body and long, black hair. Her kimono was falling off her shoulders as the man hungrily kissed there for a moment, before raking his mouth lower. He laid her down under him, and brought his head up to capture her mouth again in a passionate kiss. He moved against her and she gasped into his mouth.

Then another flash, and Akito and Uo froze as they regained their senses. They actually had been lip-locked, and now were confused at what just happened. Akito pulled slightly back, as did Uo, and their lips released their contact with eachother. Uo blinked, feeling out of place, and noticed she was on the ground. He was ontop of her, just as they had seen in the flash. Akito's eye twitched, and he propped himself up from her, noticing her long skirt had ridden up on her long slender legs, showing pale smooth flesh. Incidentally, his hand was on one of her thighs, and he quickly pulled it away.

"Okay . . . as I have said before, that was odd." She managed to say, even though her voice was a little shaky and hoarse.

"And I'll apologize again. Sorry." He stood up from her, and she pushed down her skirt and slowly stood as well. But whatever they had been doing, her stomach still had butterflies, and her knees trembled. She opted to sit back down at the table, thinking to herself, and trying to slow her breathing. She tenderly touched her lips. They were really swollen. He must have been kissing her really roughly.

He gave a shuddering sigh, and sat back down as well, but on the other side of the table. He didn't want that –whatever it was- happening again. "There has to be something going on. I take it you saw what I saw in the flash."

"Yeah. I don't know what got into me. it was like it was controlling my mind, my body. I wonder what's happening. Do you suppose we knew eachother in another life? Do you believe in reincarnation?"

"Yes. Almost our entire family does. It shows up so often –with all the zodiac spirits being reborn in our family. It's the same spirit, and it keeps coming back. I alone am the holder of the bulk of the curse. I once thought that maybe she possessed me because I'm the reincarnation of the one she was angry with enough to place the curse on my family, but that theory was enver confirmed. Do you suppose . . . . that maybe I am the reincarnation of the man that the spirit hated, and maybe you're the reincarnation of the person that he loved. Aki and . . . . Asa."

"You really have been thinking about this." She replied, and saw a slight hint of a smirk on his face.

"Sometimes, all I can do is think." He said simply, and tapped his finger on the table lightly. "What do you think about that being the explaination? Reincarnation."

"I think it's an easy excuse. For some reason, I think it's much more complicated than that. Whatever this is that's controlling us is powerful, maybe it's because of the eclipse, the curse being stopped, and her being gone from you. That's why suddenly these . . . . two people have been coming out in us."

"Sounds like you've been thinking a lot too." He retorted, and she half-smiled, and shyly looked down at her hands. _What was this?_ She asked herself. _This isn't like me, blushing and acting coy, not to mention kissing the guy . . .. . twice. I'm not acting myself at all around him! this is getting a little out of hand. Who knew I could be so . . . .. girly. This is so lovey dovey -oh, I think I'm gonna puke gummy bears!_

She rubbed her temple, trying to slow her thoughts. They needed to straighten this out! What was happening? They needed to figure it out, and soon, before the evil spirit that occupied Akito was back. They only had a few more hours. . . . .

------------------------------------------------

Somehow or other Yuki and Hana had ended up taking off half their clothes before they realized they should stop. It was an almost mutual decision, as soon as Yuki passed enough bases _(wink,wink)_ , and Hana was biting back moans. Yuki had pulled away from her, and was leaning against the wall, trying to slow his frantic breath, and calm down his heightened 'nerves'. She had snuggled next to him, and was under his arm, trying to do the same thing, but the very touch of his hand on her bare shoulder was making her dizzy.

"Where did you . . . . learn some of that?" She asked, almost a whisper.

There was a small chuckle from Yuki. "You'd be surprised what kind of _literature_ is in Shigure's fine home."

"I see. That despicable writer . . . . but I must say, literature is still literature, as long as you learned something from it." She smiled, almost to herself, relishing the memories and still lingering sensations he had sparked within her. She snuggled closer.

She placed a hand on his chest, resting it there. His shirt was already unbuttoned, but had yet to leave his body. He liked the feeling of her against him, her small and soft body tenderly pressed against his own. He leaned his head on hers, and breathed in that jasmine smell. She had let her hair down. It was so long and soft. He could get lost in it's curly depths.

There was a thud from next door, and then voices. More thuds. Kyo was saying something about pulling her hair and having to go to the bathroom. There was then many apologies, from both parties, very loudly. Hana and Yuki both sweatdropped. It was so typical of those two. They both sighed, exasperated.

"That stupid cat, he doesn't know any better. I swear he can be so dense, the stupid idiot." Yuki said in his usual annoyed, but soft tone, whenever he mentioned Kyo.

"And she's no better. She's probably apologizing for something _he_ did." Hana replied in a soft tone as well, and shook her head. She rubbed his chest reassuringly, but soon her hand trailed down his chest and to his abdomen. The small, but firm, muscles tensed, and a sound in the back of his throat escaped. She smirked. "Who knew, that the quiet, charming and polite prince would be so daring and sexy." She whispered against his ear as her hand 'explored'.

He held back a groan, and instead managed to reply to her whispered voice. "And who knew that the freaky and enigmatic, psychic, electric girl would be so open and daring herself." He retorted back, and placed a hand on the back of her neck, and pulled her into another gentle kiss. He promised in his head he would stop after a while before anything advanced, but that voice was getting quieter.

* * *

_A/N: awww.... No shigure/mii, or Tohru/Kyo!!! I'm so evil, aren't I? But these were good too, huh? Sorry if it was a little 'racey' and 'steamy' for you. I said it was pg-13! Nothing 'really' happened, and it was all innuendo. oo; hehehe, oh okay, well, gotta go now. Very tired, and stargate atlantis is about to come on. I can't miss my little Shephard-boy! (he's sooo cute!!!) Oh, and this might be kind of bad to hear, but I want to start a new fanfic (yugioh) as I have mentioned last chapter. So, these might not be popping out so quickly. But I'm still debating, so you might not have to worry at all. Okay, gotta go! Bye! See you next chapter! _

* * *

meanwhile . . . . Shigure and Mii were at it again, if you know what I mean. 


	13. The Eclipse part 5

I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET

_A/N: hehehe, WELL! Someone thinks these a/n's are too long (among other things), and I didn't take it as a flame, but well . . . . I have some piece of criticism myself: 'if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all'. That's going to be my motto at the beginning of every chapter now. You other good fans don't mind these do you? Yeah, I didn't think so. I don't take offense too much to things, but seriously, when the rest of you have enjoyed what I've done so far, I'm not going to change a thing. :p And for those of 'you' who don't like it, can simply stop reading, and not have any more to say... Ok? :::::huff::::: okay, well, I won't keep you anymore . . . . read away!_

Chapter 13 – The Eclipse part 5

Shigure laid on his back, his eyes closed. That was wonderful, his mind was spinning, and he could barely think, nor did he want to really. But thinking about not thinking only made his wheels start to turn. She shifted in his arms, and he smiled. She was curled up by his side, sleeping. He never wanted this to end. But it had to, no matter how he played out the scenario in his head.

This 'cure' had to be temporary. He had never heard of this before. It was so weird. Maybe it had something to do with the eclipse today. That was the only thing Shigure could think of to make this day different than others. Shigure pondered this, and then realized that the eclipse would be over in a matter of hours, and he didn't have much time left. What should he do? He had been all up for showing Mii his true self, but somehow now . . . . it felt different, even though he knew it shouldn't be.

Both of them had confessed their love, and maybe that's why he felt hesitation. If she truly loved him, and he her, then what would happen to them? How would she react to the horrible nature of the Sohma curse? Would she end up like Kana, Hatori's love? Would she want to forget like Momiji's mother? Would she never want to see him again? Maybe it was because he realized that he loved her, and was being selfish, thinking of his own broken heart. He feared rejection, above all. It would certainly hurt more now than it would have then. Or would it? Was he just being paranoid?

Too many questions! He frowned, and opened his eyes to look at the ceiling. He could barely hear the heavy rain outside. He wondered how the others were doing. They better be taking care of his house while he was away.

------------------------------------

Kyo practically got down on his knees and prayed for forgiveness. Oddly enough, Tohru was doing the same thing. Kyo had accidentally wrapped his arm around her too much, and his hand ended up on one of her breasts. He had quickly pulled away, but in doing so, her hair got tangled in his sweatshirt's zipper, and she was trapped against his body, as he panicked and tried to pull away harshly. This ripped out several strands of hair, and Tohru started to apologize for having too long of hair, and he apologized himself for being an idiot, saying his hand was an accident. He then tried to run away by telling her he needed to use the bathroom, but that only made it worse. He thought of what that sounded like, and didn't mean to offend her in anyway. Even though she didn't realize what he was referring to, she apologized again for not understanding, and he told her to forget it, and she was again sorry for him being so frustrated with something she did. He assured her it was something he did and not her! And - It had just been a big disaster!

Kyo had calmed down enough to look her in the eyes again. She was red in the face, but she managed a weak smile for him, and he smirked too. It was a miracle they hadn't knocked down the candles and started a fire in the fiasco.

"I'm really sor-" Tohru tried.

"Don't even start that again! We're gonna end up all messed up like before. I know you're sorry, and I'm sorry too, let's leave it at that." He replied and saw her face soften and the red start to disappear. "How did you, uh . . . . like it?" He asked, being extremely brave.

"Well, I didn't." She said innocently. Kyo's heart fell. "It really hurt my head. I don't like having my hair pulled. And getting it stuck in your zipper really hurt."

Kyo felt like passing out. Was she always so dense? He sighed, realizing that she indeed was, because she was Tohru, and it was in fact one of the qualities he loved in her. Oh god! Had he really just thought that?

"Or did you mean . . . . the hug? I really liked it Kyo, in fact, I loved it. I like the way your arms feel around me." She said softly, and Kyo had to think a moment. Did she really just say that? Maybe he was imagining things.

"W-what?" Was all he managed to say.

"I love it when you hold me, Kyo. It feels really good, like I fit . . . . perfectly in your arms." She blushed, and smiled, looking away from him. She barely noticed as he crept forward on his hands and knees, as stealthily as a panther. He came within a few inches of her head before she looked up, and her blue eyes met red ones.

"I'm glad you liked it. I loved it too." He said softly, leaning a bit closer. Was she push him away? would she slap him? he hoped not, especially since he had worked up all his courage to approach her like this. He came even closer, and he could almost hear her fast heartbeat. She was holding her breath, and he realized he was too.

Opening his mouth slightly, he brushed his lips on hers. It was so light, he almost didn't feel it. And she seemed to stunned to lean in against him. He pressed a little closer, and this time he definitely felt her lips against his own. He gently rubbed his lips against hers, and thought about pulling back because she was just sitting there. Maybe he was scaring her too much.

Little did he know she was just surprised, and it was taking a moment for her to realize that . . . . . KYO WAS KISSING HER!!!

He felt her mouth press back just as he was about to pull away. She was kissing him back! He felt a boost of confidence and leaned in even more, tilted her head back as he kissed her more deeply. He cupped her face in his hands gently, and raised himself to his knees, to get a better angle. She was still sitting, and her head had to fall back a lot to accommodate his hungry mouth.

Her first kiss! And it was perfect! Well, that was except for the part leading up to it. Kyo felt so gentle as he kissed her and handled her delicate frame. But she didn't know that Kyo was holding back what everything in his core was screaming out to do. He wanted to devour her mouth, pin her beneath him as he passionately kissed her until she was dizzy with unknown feelings of pleasure. But he couldn't do that do her. She was Tohru, and she deserved better treatment than that, even though that was what he felt like doing.

He pulled away from her and saw her eyes were still closed, but she frowned from losing the feeling of his mouth and touch. She slowly opened her eyes, and saw him staring at her intently. "Sorry, I should have asked permission." He said roughly.

"Uh.. . . .. n-no! don't think that Kyo! I really, really . . . . .. really liked it."

"I know, but, still, it's common courtesy. I know I don't seem like the type to be like that, but I still feel that way."

"I think it's cute. You thinking so chivalrously."

He smiled, relieved that she hadn't hated him for it. He sighed, and thought he heard something from next door. A small vien popped in his head. Damn Yuki. "I wonder what that damn rat is up to."

"I'm sure he's being a perfect gentleman."

-------------------------------------------------

Even in the midst of Yuki's best efforts to restrain himself, they had somehow ended up on his bed. He kissed her mouth fervently, taking just a breath every now and then. She pulled apart for a moment, and kissed down his neck, small and light kisses making his skin tingle. "We should stop." He said in a low, far-off voice.

She made a noise as if she agreed, but her mouth continued its lazy journey down his neck and shoulders. He felt a shock against his collarbone, and he shivered in satisfaction. He loved it when she did that. It was as if she was telling him to shut up and take it, but his judgement was still getting the better of him as reality began to sink back in.

He grabbed her shoulders and stopped her. He reluctantly pushed her up off him slightly. "We really should stop." He replied, even his voice sounded distraut. She nodded, and sat up from him on his bed. He sat up too and began to button up his shirt. She wrapped her sweater around her shoulders.

"Sorry, Yuki. Suddenly, ever since yesterday when you first kissed me, I've only thought of you. Even when I realized about the curse, I still couldn't stop thinking about you and your wonderful mouth. You're the only boy that's ever made me feel this way. And I hadn't even realized my feelings until just yesterday too. The very thought of you is driving me crazy. I knew you loved Tohru, but . . . . when did you start to have feelings for me?"

"Truthfully it was yesterday when I kissed you. I was really trying to make you look away from Kyo and Tohru, because he was going to transform, so I did the first thing that came to mind. So I kissed you. It sounds so unromantic, but that's what really happened."

"I see. Well, it was unexpected, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way." She said, and Yuki was surprised at how much they thought alike. "I'm glad you're you Yuki." She said, and that kind of puzzled Yuki, but it was still a nice thing to say.

"So . . . . do you want to cuddle, instead?" He asked, but she was already nuzzled against him before he could finish the sentence. He placed an arm around her and leaned his head on hers. He totally forgot about all his worries and the curse. He even forgot about Tohru and Kyo, and even Akito for that matter.

* * *

_A/N: ohhh, okay, I was going to write more, but I'm very tired, and I wanted to post this anyway so you guys could read sincei'm gonna be away from the computer for a little while. Sorry if my chapters are a little short, but that's just the way I write things. Ahhh! Yeah! Kyo and Tohru FINALLY kissed! How about that! Well, like I said in the a/n above, 'if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all' ---please? Well, I will go now._


	14. The Eclipse part 6

_A/N: Hello! I'm making up some backgrounds for some characters, and I know they aren't accurate to what we know in the manga, but hey –it's my story, and this is the way its gonna be. Okay? So once again, devoted current manga readers –don't be offended, I apologize in advance if I ruine your day. Okay, well, read along little ones, it's gonna get exciting! I promise!_

Chapter 14 – The Eclipse part 6

Uo looked over at Akito, to see him once again lost in thought. "Tell me Akito, do you remember anything about your childhood?" She asked him, and he looked over at her and frowned. His sharp features looked so handsome in the candle's flame.

"I remember some things. Being sick, and my father yelling at me for some reason. That's about it. She was with me then too. All the males who are born with the bulk of the curse, our mothers die during childbirth. It's strange. I think father blamed me a lot for it, but that spirit would take over for me, and strike back. One day, my father just disappeared. No one will talk about it. It hink that maybe she killed him. . . . maybe." He frowned, and shook his head. "It hurts to try and remember. Don't ask me again."

"I'm sorry. I never had parents really. I was always on my own for as long as I can remember. I guess we're kinda alike there, since I don't have parents either." She said, and saw him stare at her with soft, dark eyes.

"I'm glad we have something in common. I just hope . . . . I can remember you when she's back again." He said sadly.

"Akito! You can't think like that! You can't let her win again! I know you're strong, you can fight her!" She said suddenly, rising to her feet. She came around the table to him. he looked up at her, innocently, a trace of fear and anxiety in his eyes.

"But she's so strong. . . ." He said quietly, and she fisted her hands.

"Akito! No matter what, you have to fight!" She exclaimed, something in her urging her to help him. "I like who you are now, and I want you to stay that way! We only have a little while left. I want to keep seeing this side of you, don't let her win, please." She begged, and fell down next to him, and threw her arms around his slender, but firm, shoulders. She hugged him, and fought back tears. She wouldn't cry, she wouldn't.

"I . . . . I don't know what I'll do. I don't know." He said, almost a whisper against her neck.

"Just fight her." She whispered back.

"It's not that simple. I've tried that. She's too strong." He said, motionless.

"Then I'll help you." She retorted against his shoulder.

"You don't know what she's done to people. I think she's hurt a lot of people, really hurt them. She's so bitter towards us. And she hates people trying to get involved with us Sohmas, especially girls, for some reason. It's like she's jealous." He said in a tone that was breaking. The word 'jealous' sparked something between them, and they were thrust into another flash of memories.

The same dark haired, familiar woman was on the floor, groveling in front of a man. The man above her was the same one they saw that was kissing her in the other flash. He looked upset, and she looked frantic.

"You can't marry her! You love _me_!" She screamed.

"I have to marry my cousin, it was arranged! Besides, what am I supposed to do! You are already married to Koutani! You have a son! This was never right from the beginning, I thought you knew that!"

"You betrayed me, Aki! You said you'd love me forever! You can't marry Kima! I hate her, _I hate her_!"

"We were all friends once, remember, Asa? We used to play as kids at my house."

"She's too young for you, Aki. We only let her play because your parents made us. She was six when you were fourteen!"

"And you were nine, Asa. You are younger than me too."

"But I am not your blood! She is your _cousin_!"

"A distant cousin. It's normal, Asa, don't be crazy. You're acting ridiculous! This can never happen! We don't belong together! This is the end! I want you to leave me alone!" He exclaimed, but she stood to her feet and hugged him. He tried to back away, but she gripped him tight around the neck.

"I won't be jealous! _I won't be_! Just remember when we used to play the zodiac when we were all together? All three of us? You were the dragon, of course, and I was the rooster, and little Kima was the rat. We used to pick on her so much, remember? 'cause we resembled two gods, and she didn't. She was the rat, and she pretended to be close to the gods, but she never was. She's a lying, treacherous, glory bound _rodent_ that only sees herself in the light! _How dare she_!" She gripped at his back, and Aki bit back a cry as her nails dug into his back, drawing blood.

He threw her off and away from him, this time slapping her. Her black hair flew across his vision. She fell to the ground crying. He gritted his teeth in anger. "Don't speak of Kima that way! She is a good person! You are the one who's treacherous and glory bound! What has gotten into you, Asa? You were never like this before! Where's the kind and strong Asa I grew up with? Where is she? Are these your true colors? Huh?" He asked, angrily.

She writhed on the floor, gripping her head in pain and anguish.

"Dammit, Asa! I'll never love you! I never want to see you again! Leave me alone!" He said, and turned and left her to weep on the floor. She scratched the wooden floor with her fingernails, a horrible sound screetching from the boards. She left indentations and marks where her nails had scraped. She hated him! She hated her! She hated his entire family!

A sudden brightness ended the long and intense flash. Akito found himself still on the ground, Uo still hugging him. They were both panting as if they had run ten miles uphill. It was so vivid. It was all starting to make sense in Akito's minds, although Uo was still a little confused. They suddenly realized that the power was back on.

-----------------------------------------------

Hana and Yuki nearly fell off the bed from surprise as the power came back on. They blushed as they found eachother under a bright light, limbs entertwined, hands placed in 'places'. She nestled in his arms, and gave playful kisses at his neck and chin. Her mouth trailed down his chest to his abs, but she sweatdropped when she heard his stomach growl. She looked up, and saw he was looking away, a slight bit embarrassed.

"I take it you are hungry." She said plainly, a plain look on her pale face.

"Well, maybe a little." He said sheepishly.

They both sat up and buttoned up their clothes before leaving the room. Just as they exited, they saw Tohru and Kyo emerge from his room. Kyo and Yuki locked eyes, as if trying to 'magically see' how far the other got while alone with the girls. Kyo squinted as he saw how flushed Hana still looked, trying to straighten her crumpled clothes. Yuki raised an eyebrow at Tohru's painfully obvious red, embarrassed face.

Their duel continued on as they stared at eachother, Yuki calmly observing, and Kyo getting frustrated, giant veins popping from his head. Yuki was almost daring him to say something, but Kyo wouldn't go there, cause that would mean he would have to say something back, and that would probably make Tohru upset, and he didn't want that either. . . .

Hana felt the thick vibes coming from the two, and sighed, bored, and reached for Tohru, and they walked down the stairs. It took a few minutes for the two to realize that their girls had left both of them. They both seemed to panic, although one more than the other, and rush down the stairs as well.

-------------------------------------------------

Hatori picked up the phone and dialed the hotel. He hoped Shigure would answer and maybe explain a few things. It rang several times. He was about to give up, when an exhausted voice answered the phone.

"Hello?" It barely sounded like Shigure.

Hatori thought he might have dialed the wrong number. "Shigure, is that you?"

"Ha-Hari?" Shigure asked, and Hatori knew it was him.

"Shigure, the power was out here, so I was unable to reach you again. Akito was talking and said he thinks this cure is temporary, and that as soon as the eclipse is over, our curse will return." He said, and heard silence.

"I was wondering that, actually." Shigure said, sounded extremely distant and depressed. It didn't sound like him at all. Hatori frowned, concerned for his friend. He could deal with Shigure's shenanigans (_hehe - I said shenanigans_) but this was something else. It just didn't feel right not having Shigure at his quirkiest.

"Shigure, what did you do?" Hatori asked, knowing him too well.

"Nothing Hari. Nothing much. I'm just a little overwhelmed, shall we say." He said, still sounding soft and quiet. "Listen, Hari, I know then that we don't have much time left. I'm gonna go spend it doing something I'll never be able to do again. I'm sorry Hari, that you can't spend this time with Kana. I . . . . do understand, Hatori." Shigure said, and this shocked Hatori to the point of silence. Never had he heard Shigure say something so sincere. But then, Shigure said, "But with the girls there, there are plenty of nice young things to grab onto, you naughty Hari, I bet you've already hugged Tohru lots of times." Now that was the Shigure he knew. He couldn't help but half-smile and give a small chuckle.

"Just once." He replied, and heard a thunk on the other end. He was sure Shigure had fallen out of his chair, or something, in surprise. Hatori smirked again and hung up before Shigure could tease him further.

----------------------------------------------

Mii came out of the bathroom, to find Shigure lying on the floor, the phone in his hand. She tilted her head in confusion. He was such an odd man. Then again, he was Shigure, and she did love him, and all of his personalities. She blushed, thinking about that. He looked up at her from the ground, and dropped the phone. She scurried over to him in small shuffles, and bent down next to his head. She kissed his forehead, and pulled back to see him smiling. But that worried look was in his eyes again.

"Who was on the phone?" She asked, and Shigure frowned.

"Mii, I want to tell you something." He said, his smile fading.

"W-what is it?" She asked, getting worried. She hated it when she saw him so serious.

"I really don't know how you'll react, but. . . . . I wanna tell you." He said, and sat up, and turned to her. "I'm scared of losing you." He said, and reached out and hugged her, feeling her body relax to his touch. "I've always tried to keep myself distant from women, and tease them a lot so they become frustrated and don't want to deal with me. but Mii, you're the only one who's stuck around, and put up with me. I've slowly fallen in love with you. And I'm scared that if I tell you everything, that you'll reject me, and leave me for good. You probably won't believe me, but . . . . . ." He hesitated. He built up the courage as she was silent, listening to his words with intent. "There's this curse on me, and my family. It's really strange, and I don't want you to be afraid. I don't know how long I can hold you like this. I love holding you, Mii."

As if to confirm his words, Shigure felt a strange tingling, and there was a soft 'poof', and he transformed.

The eclipse was over.

* * *

_A/N: Uhoh! You're gonna have to wait! This is getting weirder and weirder! Have you figured out the Akito/Uo thing yet? Huh? It's gonna get wackier! Did you guys catch the hints in the Asa/Aki/Kima thing??? And the zodiac animals they are??? Does it fit in with the anime? I made it to specifically do that! Go back and read, and watch the anime again if you didn't catch these hints, btw. Okokok! I will try and put out another chapter soon, but there are many papers to write. I can't wait for fall break. . . . . ok, byebye! _


	15. South

I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET

_A/N: Hello all! What fun that is in store today! This is a short chapter, but what the hell, it's still really good. Okay, read and enjoy!_

Chapter 15 – South

The rain had stopped, and a flock of birds gathered around Shigure's house.

--------------------------------------------------------------

He had transformed into a dog in Mii's arms. He expected her to jump back in surprise or possibly faint or something. He waited for her to react. She made no sound, and she was frozen in place, her arms around a big black dog. He was dying from all this torment, he needed to know how she felt!

"S-so this is the curse?" She finally asked, although she was still locked in place.

"Yes." He said, and then he felt her tremble.

But the trembles were from her giggling, and he frowned as best a dog could frown, confused. She hugged him closer. "You stupid idiot, this is the dumbest curse I've ever heard about. This is why you were acting all gloomy and scared? Shigure, you're such a dummy."

"Y-you're not angry?"

"Are you kidding? I've always wanted a dog!" She hugged him even closer, and petted his dark fur. "And you're so cute! Aww. . .. ." She cooed, and Shigure sweatdropped. Was this the reaction he was hoping for? It certainly wasn't what he expected. "You're such a good boy." She said in a sickly sweet voice, and Shigure sweatdropped even more. She petted his fur some more, and scratched his back.

He involuntarily leaned in more, his foot thumping the ground. 'Wait, wait, wait! Stop that!' He told himself, and back away from her. "You're really not upset or frightened?"

"Shigure. . . . ." She scolded, and her eyes became glossy. "I love you, and all your quirks, even this one. It doesn't phase me. Although, you have some explaining to do. If this happens when you hug me, then why didn't it happen when we were . . .. uh . .. . ."

"You see, there was the eclipse, and it temporarily broke the curse."

Her eyebrow raised. "I see."

He saw where she was going. "I really, really am sorry if you feel like I took advantage! But remember, I did try and stop! You can't blame me for acting like I did. It was my only chance to hug a girl!"

"We did more than hug. And as I remember, Shigure, you're the one who hugged and kissed me first, before you tried to back away. It was already too late by then." She said, and Shigure's heart sunk. She was taking this badly. But then again, she was suddenly smiling again. "You dummy, the past is the past. I understand now why you were so hasty, but I know your feelings were there before that. You're so dense sometimes, you dumb dog." She laughed, and he sighed in relief.

There was a 'poof' and Shigure was back to normal, but naked in front of her. It wasn't like it was something she hadn't already seen, but she was still shocked. He grabbed a robe hastily, and apologized.

"You're gonna have to fill me in on all the rules, Shigure." She said in a small, glazed over voice. He nodded wearily.

-----------------------------------------

The power had come back on, and everyone gathered around to eat an early dinner. They were at the table, eating a meal cooked by Tohru and Hana, when the boys felt a strange sensation. Yuki frowned looking up, and saw Kyo was panicking. Hatori looked surprised as well.

They all turned to Akito, whose eyes were wide in fear, and he began to breath heavy, scared breaths. As if someone physically slapped him, Akito's face changed to one of deadly calm, a spark of anger in his dark, squinting eyes.

She was back.

Akito fisted his hands and pounded the table. "Why are we still here, Hatori?!" He exclaimed, and looked around at the surprised faces. Kyo had stood, and grabbed Tohru protectively by the arms. Yuki reached out an arm, and him and Hana backed away. Hatori was frozen in his place, fear in his usually calm eyes. "Why did I come here?! Why! Someone tell me!" He yelled frantically, his eye twitching. "Erase their memories, all of them! I want to go back, back where I belong. At Sohma house where I belong!" He stood on wobbly legs.

Uo stood up and tried to grab his arm, but he swiped at her, but he missed as she dodged gracefully. She hadn't been in that gang and not learned how to fight and miss punches. He tried again to strike her, but she was too quick, and grabbed his flailing arms in her strong grip. But he was encredibly strong for how weak he looked. Uo knew now that it was the spirit of the one who cursed the Sohmas. She was strong and powerful, but Uo had to try and get Akito out again, the real Akito.

"Akito, listen to me, it's Arisa! Remember I told you to fight her! _Do it now_!"

Akito growled, and shoved at her arms, forcing her knees to buckle and she fell. Her hands were still holding his tightly. He was leaning over her, his arms forcing her back even more. Uo stared, determined, into the eyes of Akito. She saw the ruthless spirit in him. Then a flicker of softness, and Uo knew that was him.

"Akito! Fight her! Please!" She screamed, and saw Akito waver, and in that second she released his hands, and he came falling down on her. There was a hiss of yellow smoke. It wasn't a 'poof' but rather a low hum.

"""_How dare you! How dare you even touch him_!""" A horrid voice, distorted, screamed out. Uo closed her eyes, and grabbed around his neck. The voice screamed, and it sounded like a million people crying out in pain at the same time. Her ears rang.

Uo was hot, she was smoldering! Something was burning her very core, and she had to open her eyes. When she did, all she saw was flames. In a panic, she let go, and fell to the ground, and looked up, and she was shocked into total silence.

There was a giant phoenix floating up to the sky. It was red and yellow with flames all around it. It screamed again, and flapped its wings. Uo noticed birds, hundred of them, flying in perfect rings around the phoenix. """_You can't have him! You can't have him or this family! None of them! I won't allow it!_"""

"Akito." Uo whispered out, her eyes wide in fear. There was a phoenix right in front of her. It felt so hot, fire spewing from its long feathery-flamed wings. She felt tears fall down her face. "Why won't you fight her, Akito?" She whispered again, and then there was another hiss, and yellow smoke, and Akito's body reformed and he fell slowly back to the ground. He collapsed on the ground, unconscious, his clothes smoking and scorched.

Hatori ran up and picked him up in his arms. He hastily left, without saying anything to the others, his mind just as confused as theirs. Yuki was about to protest to Hatori leaving with Akito, but Hana stopped him. Kyo did his best to calm Tohru, but found her gaze still locked to the sky where the phoenix had been. She was in shock. Only when she heard Uo wail and cry did she snap out of it. She looked down and over at her best friend. She pushed past Kyo and fell down in the mud next to her, and hugged her. Hana was already there too, hugging both of them as well.

Yuki walked up to Kyo and actually put a hand on his shoulder in reassurance. Kyo didn't pull away or say anything, simply put a hand on Yuki's and gave it a pat. Yuki pulled his hand away and turned around and looked at the house. Part of the house was gone. Great.

-------------------------------------------

Shigure and Mii pulled up to the house, and it all looked like normal, except for some downed tree limbs and a lot of water and puddles. Mii pulled to a stop and looked over at the house too. "I don't think they wrecked it. It looks fine to me." She replied, and he smirked at how similar they really were. He turned to her and gave a weak smile.

"Will you come by tomorrow?" He asked, and she nodded.

"Of course. Besides, you need to get that manuscript ready anyway. It's due next month, you realize." She said, and he looked confused, like he had no idea what she was talking about. "Don't tell me you haven't even wrote anything yet! Shigure, I'm gonna—" She was cut off as he leaned across and planted a firm and passionate kiss on her lips. She melted, and almost completely forgot why she was yelling at him. When he finally pulled back from her, she was breathless. "Y-yeah, and what I said." She said, barely coherent.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow." He replied, and got out of the car and grabbed his suitcases and headed towards home again, waving goodbye as she weaved out onto the main road. He turned back around and continued into his house.

He opened the door and walked in, and took off his shoes. There was some hammering, and he frowned, and put his cases aside, and began to walk into the house further. More hammering, and arguing. It sounded like Yuki and Kyo. The arguing was typical, but the hammering. . . . .

He opened the door to the dining room where he heard the commotion. "Yuki, Kyo? I hope you didn't do anything stupid and wrecked the house while I was—" He stopped talking and nearly fainted on the floor. The back half of the house was gone!

"Oh shit, you're home early." Kyo exclaimed, up a ladder, trying to hammer two boards together. Yuki was helping him too. _That_ made Shigure really lose it, and he fell to his knees in shock. He barely noticed the three girls trying to rebuild the doors.

He fell back slowly and with a loud thud he was on the ground, twitching.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_A/N: what fun! Did you guys like? I told you it's getting weird. How did you like the phoenix thing and Akito? I think it goes perfectly! It makes total sense. If you still don't know what's going on with Akito/Uo, don't worry, you're not supposed to know everything yet. Just be patient and trust me. anyway, sorry it's been a while, but my internet has been down. God, it's been a long week. Oh yeah, sorry I changed the rating, but it was getting a little 'steamy' at times, and I just want to be extra careful. But now that it IS rated R, I can do all sorts of fun stuff. Ok, I was just kidding! No limes or lemons, sorry! I don't do that (I just read other ones-lol xx; !!!) jk, okay, I'll go. Review like little birds! Little birds swarming around a Akito . . .... . _


	16. Normal, What is Normal?

I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET

_A/N: Hello! Here's another chapter for you! Sorry it's a little short, but it's all leading up to the finale! Yay! I mean . . .. no. anyway, readreadread!_

Chapter 16 – Normal, what is Normal?

Tohru carried a plate of breakfast for her friends and the boys. They were eating in the stairwell, next to the kitchen, which was still barely intact. Tohru went up to her friends, noticing a now togtherness that was somehow void before. Everyone knew eachother's secrets, and it was like a heavy weight had been lifted off their shoulders. She smiled, but noticed Shigure was not there.

"Where's Shigure?" She asked, and Yuki rolled his eyes.

"He's still in the dining room." Yuki replied, and Tohru walked a little ways and peeked behind some draped tarp to see Shigure sitting at the table, but it was open to the world with no roof or walls. He was just sitting there, like usual, but this time a dumbfounded look was on his face as he sipped his tea. Yuki sighed. "I guess he's taking this really hard."

"That damn dog is gonna catch cold or something." Kyo growled, and everyone looked at him oddly. Even though his remark was a bit harsh, he was still showing concern. Obviously Tohru was rubbing off on him in more ways than one. "What? What'd I do?" He exclaimed from the looks he was getting.

"At least Shigure didn't have to see _how_ it happened." Yuki said and shook his head. "I had never heard of Akito being able to transform before he told us. I wonder if _anyone_ knew." He pondered this. No one in the family even seemed to hint at anything of the sort. And from what Yuki knew, Akito's mother had died at childbirth.

"Still, it is very sad that all of you transform again now." Hana said, giving a forlorn look towards Yuki. Kyo raised an eyebrow, and Tohru grinned as they watched Yuki blush slightly. The only one was wasn't really in the conversation was Uo. She was staring at her plate, lost in thought. Hana seemed to notice though, and turned her attention over to her. "Arisa, what is the matter?"

"I can get him back, I know I can." She said, determined.

"Who? Akito?" Tohru asked.

"Yeah, the real him. All I have to do is see him again." She said, and there was a dead silence. "I don't want to give up on him. He's still in there, she's just strong. I'm sure I can talk some sense into her."

"The evil spirit that first put this curse on this family?" Yuki asked.

"Yes, but somehow I think she's more than just a spirit. And I think I have something to do with her, somehow." Uo said, and everyone was quiet again. This was all too heavy for them. As if to lighten the mood, they felt a cold breeze blow through, and turned and saw the front door was opening. The familiar face of Mii, Shigure's editor, walked in and looked at them oddly.

Why were they all eating on the stairs? She wondered as she hefted a large briefcase full of Shigure's other manuscripts. "Uh, hello. Where's Shigure?" She asked, and they pointed to a tarp covering a portion of the house. That was odd too. She walked over to it, and lifted it and looked through. She was surprised to find she was now looking outside again, and she noticed the familiar house was half gone in the back!

She looked down and saw Shigure sitting at the still intact table, sipping at some tea, his face clearly one of insane disclosure. She walked up to him, his eyes not even acknowledging her. She leaned down to his face, and studied his expression. He had definitely lost it, big time. Was he even in denial?

"Shigure?" She asked, and leaned in closer. The same look. She planted a kiss on his temple, his head slightly tilting to the side from her gentle contact. His face emmediately changed to a grin, his eyes closed. "Uh, honey, what happened to your house?" She asked, and his grin disappeared. His eyes were still closed though. "Was it those bad little teenagers?" He nodded, pitifully. "Are you gonna come inside now?" She asked, and he nodded again. "And work on your manuscript?" She asked, and he frowned, and opened one eye to stare at her.

"And here I thought you came just to see me." He said with a sad tone. She sat down next to him and frowned herself.

"Shigure, no matter what we've just been through, work is work, and you're really behind! I can't just let you slack off, and it's gonna be much worse now that you can distract me from –" She began to rant on, but was 'distracted' by Shigure's wonderfully adoring mouth on her own. She pulled away, though, determined not to let him do this to her. It was bad enough he had ran and hid from her before, but this was somehow much worse; this was far more tempting to allow. "You need to finish your manuscript before I get in a lot of trouble, and we have to—"

"Stop talking." He gently commanded, and kissed her again, holding her neck with one hand, the other gently placed on her shoulder to keep them from both leaning in too far. Her hands went to his chest and rested there, her mouth obeying his, and not speaking another word as he ardently kissed her, his tongue playing at her lower lip, and then finally she granted access to her mouth. It had only been a few hours, but she had already missed his contact. She really wanted to feel his arms around her, but she knew that was impossible now. The curse was back in full force. So unless she really wanted to ruine the mood, she would have to restrain herself.

--------------------------------------

Tohru couldn't help but smile as she peeked into the 'room' Shigure was in. It seemed like everyone –including Shigure- was falling for someone. It was so cute, but Tohru blushed fiercely and walked away when Shigure pinned Mii to the floor, his arms braced above her meticulously as to not transform himself.

She sat back down with the others, and Kyo obviously saw her extremely red face. "What's the matter, Tohru?" He asked her, leaning in close to inspect. She waved her hand dismissively.

"Nothing! I'm just hot." She said and looked over at Yuki who had his head tilted to see into the 'dining room'. The tarp blew open slightly, and he saw what Tohru was blushing about. He turned back to the group, and shook his head.

"Perverted dog." He said, and Hana nodded, because she had looked as well.

"Very perverted." She agreed, and made a small noise in the back of her throat as if to clear it.

Yuki half smiled, thinking that they had done some pretty 'perverted' things themselves. They were really no better. And all Shigure was really doing was kissing someone, while holding their arms above their head. That wasn't too bad . . . . . comparitively.

"So, Uo, you want to go see Akito again?" Tohru asked, as if to break up the silence.

"Yes, I think I need to." She said, a determination in her voice.

"After all that, all you can think about is saving him?" Yuki asked her, a little bit of disregard in his voice. "That spirit –or whatever it was- was too powerful. It was a phoenix, a god. It wasn't a seahorse or a little rabbit, it was a phoenix. And for some reason, it didn't like you too much."

"I don't know why that is, but I know the real Akito is in there."

"The 'real Akito'? you didn't even know the old Akito. Even if it was the spirit who was tormenting our family through Akito's body, I still can't forgive him. you have no idea what he has done to us, what kind of a person he was. For all we really know, that could have been him all those times, and not the spirit. How do we even know what the 'real Akito' is?" Yuki asked, getting very emotional.

"Look Yuki, I know that he's been unruly and angry with all of you, but I can assure you that that was the spirit. I think I've seen the spirit before she was the phoenix. She was just a woman, a hurt and sad woman. But anyway, Akito is different! I've seen him and talked with him. He's just as confused and hurt as all of you. He's a victim too! Just like you all told me, he's taken on the bulk of the curse, and more than that. He's taken on the weilder of the curse, letting her take control of his body, without his control or choice! I know Akito can come out on occasions, he's strong enough to fight her. She has her moods, and I think we just hit a sore spot yesterday."

"You hit a sore spot, not we." Kyo added in.

"That's not the point! The point is, I know I can get Akito back." She snapped a look at Yuki. "The real Akito. If I have to do it myself, I will." But her face softened again. "I just wanted to do it with my friends. Will you guys help me? please?"

Tohru nodded quickly, and placed a hand on her shoulder. Kyo said a reluctant yes, and Yuki turned to Hana, who was already nodding. Yuki was the last to say anything. "I might be wrong about Akito. And I will always help out a friend, always. And you are my friend, Arisa Uotani."

Uo smiled and stood up. "Alright, lead me to Sohma House!"

------------------------------------------------------------------

_A/N: Again sorry about the shortness. It's almost done, guys! Isn't it sad? Anyway, I'm considering a sequel after I'm done with this, and I think I already have some plot ideas. Hmm . . . . anyway, gotta go, im writing on my other story, the yugioh one I threatened to start –and I have. . . . . sorry, but this one still takes priority! I always write on this one first! Okay, well, gotta go. I'm gonna write my update for yugioh. Okies! Byebye!_


	17. Akito and Arisa Asa and Aki

I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET

_A/N: Lol. Did anyone else get a flash of ANIMORPHS from the little 'meeting' the five were having last chapter? I did! After I wrote it too! Lets see, Yuki is Jake, reluctant yet handsome, leader. Uo is Rachel, strong and independent. Tohru is Cassie, sweet and compassionate. Kyo is Tobias, the brooding outsider, very heroic(and mostly everyone's favorite). Hana is Ax, the enigmatic weirdo who likes snacks. Does anyone else see it? Does anyone know what I'm even talking about? Lol –okay, then, read this chapter, and regret that it is almost over.Ya know, a sequel does sound good._

Chapter 17 – Akito and Arisa/Asa and Aki

The five had left without talking to Shigure, who seemed rather busy in the 'dining room'. Yuki and Kyo led them to the house, which was a good walk away. When they got to the main entrance, mostly everyone but Uo was having second thoughts. Tohru reached for Kyo's hand, and held it tight in hers. He looked down, surprised for a second, but then held hers just as tightly. Hana stood close to Yuki.

Yuki looked up at the main entrance, and frowned. He hated this place. He hated it! But if it was to help a friend –he looked over at Uo's determined face, saw Tohru's and Kyo's scared, but willing, eyes, and he saw Hana's supportive gaze fall on him. She seemed to sense his doubts, and she just stared at him, mentally urging him on. He then nodded, and pushed open the main doors, and they headed towards the house.

Halfway there, though, Hatori came out, looking strangely stoic. "What are you all doing here? You know non-family members aren't allowed." He said, as if nothing had happened yesterday, and the same rules still applied.

"You know why we're here. Take me to Akito." Uo demanded, and his face turned grave.

"I can't do that. We can't have what happened yesterday to happen again. Akito's been severely exhausted. His body's suffering, and he's extremely agitated. If there's any more excitement, he'll probably die." He said, his voice almost faltering at the end.

"He's strong, I know it." Uo retorted.

"You _don't_ know him, Miss Uotani, no matter how much you think you do. This family has more secrets and misery than you would ever want to know about. It's better if I just do what I have to do, and make you forget you ever knew us." He said, and raised his hand, reaching for her. She frowned as he placed a hand on her forehead. She tried to dodge, but his fast grip was firm and tight. Before any of the others could react and try to push him away, there was a flash. They all gasped.

Uo saw images. It was another flashback, though. She saw that man with dark hair, and that woman again. He was yelling something, chanting almost. She was grinding underneath his tight grip, trying to struggle free. He had her locked beneath him. After his chanting, and over her pleading voice, he said, "I'll make you forget, and then you'll leave me alone! I never want to see you again! Don't you see, this is for your own good! I'll grant myself this power, and I'll be able to make you forget! I'll make you forget about me!" He exclaimed, frantically.

"No, Aki, no, don't do this! I won't let you! I won't let you! Nothing you do will work on me, my love is too strong! You wouldn't dare! I'll make you regret this! I'll make your whole family regret this!" She screamed, and then she chanted something too. He pushed away, his hands burning against her skin. She squirmed away from him, and stood up on wobbly feet. "I'll curse you and your family!" She chanted some more, and pulled a dagger from her kimono's folds. "I'll forever haunt you and your family!"

There was another flash in Uo's eyes.

The other four had watched in horror as Hatori grabbed her head and there was a familiar flash, and her head lolled backwards. But then to their shock there was another flash, equally strong, that shone from her head against his hand. He pulled back, his shaking, the flesh on his hand burned. He looked over at her, stunned. She frowned, her eyes blazing with anger.

"That won't work on me." She said, in a voice not her own. It was low and menacing. "Kioku Spell doesn't affect me or my blood. It never has, and never will." She pushed past him, and into the main house.

The other four watched as she went on ahead, and then looked back at Hatori. He was watching her leave, his eyes never leaving her. He finally glanced over at the other four, who then ran past him and to the house, following Uo. No matter what, they weren't missing this. Hatori walked everyone run past him, and slowly followed.

------------------------------------------------------

Uo didn't know what had happened, but suddenly she was running through Sohma house, as if she knew the place like the back of her hand. She came to a strangely familiar room, and burst in, to see Akito sitting on the ground of a large, plain, wooden room. He was hunched over, his hands resting on his knees. He slowly looked up at her.

She ran over to him, and kneeled next to him. His eyes seemed like they were in pain, his face pale. He looked like he was on heavy medication or something. She figured Hatori probably pumped him full of drugs to get him to calm down. His mouth moved as if to say something, but his throat couldn't produce the sounds. She leaned in closer.

"I'm here, Akito, is that you?" She asked, and he moved his mouth again, against her cheek. She heard him speak her name painfully low, and then—

"Help me, Arisa. I lo-" He barely got out before she heard him chuckle loudly against her ear, and she pulled away, and saw his fierce, dark eyes staring at her. "It's you again. Planning to try and save the day? Well, it won't work, my dear." He said in a wickedly smooth voice.

Hatori and the other four came into the room, but stayed back at the doorway, scared and frightened to move in closer. They instead watched from the doorway as the scene progessed into a terrifying climax.

"Bring back Akito." She demanded angrily.

"Never. I will forever curse this family with the spirits of the zodiac, and my spirit will forever live in the reincarnation of Aki. He'll never break the curse, I know this family too well." He said, laughing softly to himself.

His features turned stricken suddenly, and he reached out and grabbed her by the neck, choking her. She panicked for just a second, but then chopped her hands against his arm, and she broke free. Akito then tried to grab at her, and like before, she held both his arms, pinning him. He growled.

"You stupid bitch! Why are you so persistant! You can't have him! Don't you realize that he's mine! All of them are mine!" He screamed, and she frowned, and suddenly her eyes softened, even though her grip was still tight.

Her voice became that of another; the other who shared her body. "You're vision has become so clouded, that you don't even see the reality in front of you."

"What?!" Akito exclaimed.

"Do you not even recognize me? It's is me, Asa, yourself. We are the same spirit, Asa, except that I am the good Asa, and you are the evil spirit that spawned from me when my hatred for the Sohma's first began. My spirit has been reincarnated into this body and soul."

"No! You can't be Asa! I'm the only one!"

"And you're so blind, that you didn't even realize, that the curse was beginning to disintegrate. The curse you placed on this family is going to break, if Akito can say what he really feels like saying. If he's strong enough to fight you and speak the words."

"No! What are you talking about?!"

Uo slowly came back, and the spirit of the reincarnation of the good Asa told her about everything. She now understood, and now it was very important that she got out the true Akito to confess something to him. "Akito, it's me Arisa! Remember what I told you! I know you're strong! Talk to me! Tell me your thoughts!"

"No! I-Arisa-I . . . Get away! Stay back! Shut up –Arisa, I- You lying bitch! Asa! I'll make you regret –Arisa, please, I need to- Get out! Get me out!" His voice was a range of different tones and emotions. She could hear Akito, but also Aki's deep voice, and the spirit-Asa's frantic and angry voice. It was like three people were trying to talk at the same time.

"Dammit, fight her Akito! Can't you see that I love you!" Uo exclaimed, and felt a tear roll down her cheek. She saw his eyes go wide in shock. She flung her arms from his grip, and wrapped them tightly around his neck. the hiss of smoke. His body was turning into flames. She held on tighter, her own body on fire. She heard him scream, that horrible screech of the phoenix, but she only held tighter.

Then she felt hands wrap around her as well, and in the flames, Uo held onto Akito, his head against hers. She felt his mouth against her ear, and heard his real voice, Akito's voice, say, "I love you too."

Then there was a final flash as the three spirits faced eachother on a field of fire.

----------------------------------------------------

The evil-spirit Asa stood alone, looking around frantically at the empty, smoldering plain. She then saw two figures. One was the good Asa, and the other was her beloved Aki. Good Asa held Aki's hand, and then spoke, "Asa, you placed this curse on this family many years ago, and now it has been broken. Your desire has been so blinding that you didn't even notice the curse beginning to break."

Aki spoke, "The eclipse made it possible for us to come out and try and break the curse as well. And it worked too. Our reincarnations fell in love, and broke your curse. Don't you even remember anymore what your curse was?"

"I said the curse would be that I would forever haunt the reincarnation of Aki, and that parts of the Sohma family would be cursed with the animals of the zodiac, preventing them from ever knowing the feeling of closeness to the opposite sex."

Aki nodded. "Yes, you didn't want any of them to be happy. So you've haunted the reincarnations of me, causing their bodies to be weak, so you could control them easier. You've always hated the women of the Sohmas, because that reminded you too much of when I was to marry Kima, my cousin. You've also tormented the spirit of the rat because of this. When we used to play animals of the zodiac when we were, we'd all be the animal of our sign. Kima was the rat, and that is why you have always hated and tormented the one who held the spirit of the rat. I was the dragon, so you especially felt reminiscent and angry, whenever the dragon tried to marry someone, especially if it was with a distant relative. The dragon spirit also holds the power of the Memory Spell, as I had granted myself that power to rid you of your memories, even though I failed. And the rooster, who you were –you've always kept that spirit and its holder close to you."

"So what! That is how it's always been!"

Asa frowned at her demented counterpart. "But what did you say would break it?"

The other Asa frowned and thought to herself. "I loved Aki so much. He just wouldn't love me back, because he had to marry Kima, and I was already married to Koutani, with a son. I didn't care about them though. I only saw Aki, even though he was years older than me. I thought we loved eachother. I became so desperate, that I kept tormenting him, following him everywhere, trying to get him to see my love for him would never die! Even after he was married and was expecting a child with Kima, I still persued him. He just wouldn't love me again! So when he tried to erase my memories, I created my own curse. I killed myself in front of him with a sacred dagger of the phoenix, and I was reborn as a spirit, separating myself from the good and pure Asa, and traveled into the unborn son of Aki and Kima to begin the never-ending curse upon the Sohmas. When I was born, I was sure I killed Kima as I came out. As I have with all the Sohma women who bear me into the world. All of this for the love of Aki." She paused, and frowned. "I said that the curse would only be broken if Aki would just love me." She said, a trace of sudden, but reluctant, realization settling in.

"And it finally happened." The good Asa spoke.

"What?!"

"Akito, the reincarnation of Aki, admitted his shared love with Arisa, the reincarnation of me. When I died, and my hatred turned into an evil spirit from the phoenix dagger, even I doubted it would ever be broken. But in the midst of it all, it _did_ happen, and you didn't even notice. And now you will disappear forever." The good and real Asa bowed her head, along with Aki, and the phoenix spirit cried out, but then burst into a halo of flames, and disappeared.

-------------------------------------------

Arisa cried into Akito's shoulder, even as the flames began to cease. He held onto her, his head in against hers, feeling her body shake beneath his hands. He noticed too that he was shaking as well. His mind was quiet, like it had been before during the eclipse. She was gone again. The evil spirit was gone.

Then he remembered. He had seen the confrontation. He was an unwilling audience, along with Arisa. But it made sense, and the real Aki whispered to him of the past they had all shared. He knew about Arisa and her past too, with Asa. Even her last name Uotani was descended from the married name Asa shared as Koutani. Somewhere along the generations, the Koutani's changed their name to Uotani.

But all of those small details were fading from his mind, as he held onto Arisa in a loving embrace. The phoenix spirit was gone, and the curse was finally broken, for good now, and he was in the arms of a woman who actually loved him, and who actually was willing to fight for him. He began to cry as well.

She held him tight, as if he was going to slip away. He smiled weakly against her cheek. She made a small noise, almost angry, "You stupid asshole, what took you so long?" She said softly, but angrily.

"I'm sorry, my love." He replied, and kissed her cheek. "Eternity blocked my way."

She laughed softly. "Anytime eternity blocks your way, I'll be there with my lead pipe to beat it to a pulp." She relaxed her tight hold around his neck, and pulled back, and kissed his lips gently......... and for once they shared a kiss that was truly, and forever, their own.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_A/N: AWWW!!! I was crying when I wrote the last part, still drying my tears with a tissue as we speak. Okay, it was a little 'cheesy' and a teeny bit cliché, but oh well! I'm so sad this is over. I hope you all understood what was going on the whole time now. I tried my best to explain it thoroughly to you all! If you still have any confusion, let me know, and I'll explain some more. But I hope you all got it. Anyway, still an epilogue-type of chapter to write, and then you guys get to decide! Do I make a sequel, or just continue writing on this one? I mean, it'll be the same sort of stuff, but do you want it on this particular story, or a brand new one? That, and also should I change this back to pg-13? Some reviewers were just saying that some of the scenes seemed pretty R. but what do you think? Should I change it back to pg-13, so more can read, or just leave it? Anyway, everyone let me know!!! I hoped you liked the 'ending' to this one. Okay, gotta go._


	18. THE CURSE IS BROKEN!

I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET

_A/N: It's over! This is the last chapter! of this story, that is. There is a sequel! It will be posted soon, so just wait a few days for it. Just look at my profile to find it (but not now probably, since i haven't written it yet --still in my mind, sorry) And i will warn you , though, it will probably center alot around the zodiac spirits. there won't be as much Shigure x Mii or Akito x Uo. I bet you're all happy about that! The next will have MORE Hanaki and Kyoru! I promise! Anyway, i hope to see you all transferring to review my new story The Curse is Broken II!!! -available soon!_

Chapter 18 – The Curse is Broken

Yuki, Kyo, and Hatori felt strange as they saw Uo hug Akito, and they burst into flames. Besides being stunned from the sight, they felt like something was being ripped from their souls. They all fell to their knees, and gripped at their heads and bodies, as the spirits of the zodiac were removed from their souls and bodies.

Kyo saw the spirit of the cat, in it's true form and cat form. They smiled to him, and bowed, saying a silent farewell. They spoke words of wisdom to him though, 'dear Kyo, follow your heart, and never give up trying to be a part of a family you know you belong to. You belong, you always have. And you have her now, too'.......... 'and oh yeah, beat that damn rat someday for me'. He nodded and felt strangely empty suddenly, but he smirked.

Yuki saw the spirit of the rat, floating away from him. 'Yuki, I have always loved being with you in spirit, but now I must leave. You are strong, even though sometimes you have doubts. Try and forgive Akito, for it was Asa who tormented you. I only wish I was strong enough myself to help you. But, kid, I think you still turned out alright. Remember that our experiences only make us stronger, please remember that. And yeah, don't let that cat ever beat you, even though we both know he has no chance.' Yuki smiled.

Hatori saw the spirit of the dragon, in it's earthly form, the seahorse, and also the god form, a mighty Chinese dragon. 'Hatori, the burden has been lifted, please don't feel you ever have to be so weighted again. Akito will be fine now. You have nothing else to fear. I know you fear many things, and now we take with us the power of the Memory Spell. You will never have to perform this action again. We hope that you can now carry out a life with love and happiness. Goodbye, my dear friend.' Hatori saw him go, a tear dropping across his cheek.

------------------

Shigure was trying to actually get some work done after Mii insisted. Suddenly he felt sick, and he keeled over, grabbing his head in a dizzying pain. Then the pain disappeared, ripped from his head with one big tug. He looked up and saw the spirit of the dog, staring at him, a sweatdrop on its head. 'Damn, I thought I'd never get away from you.' She said, and he frowned. _A girl_? 'yeah, even spirits can be female, damn, you really are an annoying little bastard. Anyway, it's time for me to go, the curse has been broken.' Shigure frowned again, _when the hell did that happen_? The spirit sighed in embarrassment. 'You really are hopeless. But I have to say that out of all the Sohmas that I've been in, you were my favorite, for the simple fact that you were hilarious to watch.' _Shut up_. 'oh you shut up, Shigure, and get back to writing, you slacker. And don't think this is the last time you'll see me, either'. She then floated away. He couldn't help but smirk. He didn't know the spirits were actual beings. He stopped smiling; and really blunt and sarcastic, foul mouthed beings they were.

-------------------

The flames disappeared around Akito and Uo, and the others watched as they spoke quiet words to eachother, and then kiss tenderly. Tohru found she still couldn't breathe from the sight she had just experienced. She was gripping Kyo's hand so tightly he was beginning to lose circulation. He pried himself from her, and shook her gently.

"It's over Tohru, it's over, it's okay." He said, and brought her to him in a awkward hug. She relaxed though, and melted into his arms. He was hugging her! She was hugging him! The curse was broken! Forever! She began to cry happily, and hugged him tightly.

Yuki couldn't believe it. The curse was finally, forever, broken! But what did that now mean? How would school go? How would the rest of the family react? Would they hate Akito still? Respect him? Too many questions littered Yuki's wandering mind. But through all the questions he heard an impatient throat being cleared. He looked over at Hana, who was eying him strangely. He frowned, confused. She cleared her throat louder this time, and Yuki then smiled, noticing that, indeed, he was not rejoicing like he should be. He reached out and pulled her to him hastily, and took in a deep breath in her hair.

----------------------------------------

Tohru, Kyo, and Yuki got home, after saying goodbye to Uo and Akito, who were staying together at the Sohma house. Hatori said he had to go inform the rest of the family, even though they probably already knew. On the way, they dropped off Hana at her house, where Torhu and Kyo waited for what seemed like hours for them to say their farewells. They finally ended with a lengthly and, from what it looked like, very intense kiss. Hana barely made it into the house, and Yuki almost tripped down the stairs. Kyo rolled his eyes, and Tohru blushed.

They walked into a quiet house. Where was he? There were muffling noises coming from his office. They walked closer, and suddenly Shigure opened the door a crack, and stuck his head out. "Oh, nice to see you guys made it home alright. I'm so glad the curse is broken, who broke it by the way?" He asked, a little too quickly, and a little too nonchalant.

"Uh, Miss Uotani, and I guess Akito." Yuki replied, and frowned, Shigure just nodding, and making noises of agreement. His head was the only part they saw, and his eyes were closed. He was preoccupied, they could tell. Kyo covered Tohru's eyes at the realization, and took her away. Yuki just covered his face in embarrassment, and walked away, talking about being scarred for life.

Shigure barely noticed as they left, and quickly shut the door, and turned back to Mii, who had been teasing his shoulder and chest with her lips. They were both only in their underwear. He smiled, and lifted her against him playfully, and kissed her neck. She squealed and held him tight. He smiled at the feeling. God, did he love her. He caught her mouth in his and massaged his lips to hers, and then carried her to his room, and they fell on the bed, kissing fiercely and passionately. That is, until Mii noticed something.

"Shigure, dear? There isn't a wall over there."

He stopped his actions, and looked over. "I see. Hmm." He looked back at her, below him, her cheeks flushed. "Well, I guess we can wait until there is a wall there. It might be a while, seeing as I only have teenagers to help me repair my house, and they have to go back to school tomorrow." He suggested, but he saw it was not going to go over too well. And according to his own body, waiting was not an available option.

"Screw the wall." She said, and pulled him back into a kiss.

He broke apart for a moment. "I hope there's no burglars prowling around. I'd be scared if I saw what I was about to do to you." He remarked wittily, but she just smacked him in the head playfully.

----------------------------------------------------

It had been one long weekend, and none of the kids had done their homsework, but none of them cared. Yuki fell into bed lazily, and fell asleep, suddenly reveling in the fact that he could still smell Hana's lingering scent on his pillow and sheets.

Kyo went to bed, but was restless. He opted to go on the roof, even though half of it was gone. His usually spot was still intact. He looked up into the night sky. It was twinkling, and he could have sworn he saw the constellations dancing. Maybe he was just exhausted. He almost fell asleep, when he heard a scuffling, someone struggling to get up the ladder. He saw a familiar brown head of hair pop up, and lovely blue eyes meet his. She made it up the ladder, and took steps towards him. She sat herself next to him.

"Hey, Kyo. I thought you'd be up here." She said, and then unexpectedly leaned into him, snuggling up under his arm. "I love holding you, Kyo." She said softly. She sighed softly, even though her heart was beating quickly from the contact.

He smiled back, and held onto tightly, and gave her a gentle squeeze. "I love it too." He said, shakily, his breath ragged from his pounding heart. But he relaxed slowly as he became used to her body against his again. He looked up at the stars again. "Do you think we'll see them again?"

Tohru frowned. "Who?"

"The spirits of the zodiac. They were real....... beings, you know. I wonder if we'll ever see 'em again." He replied, and felt Tohru snuggle against him some more.

"I'm sure we will...... Kyo?" She asked him, and he made a noise of acknowledgement. "I..... I love you, Kyo."

"I love you too." He said with no hesitation, even though actually hearing Tohru say that to him had his heart running laps and his mind swimming in possibilities and celebration. He loved her, he had always loved her.

She made a happy noise. "I didn't need Yuki's help after all."

"_What_ about the damn rat?!" Kyo exclaimed, confused.

"Nothing, Kyo. I love you." She repeated, and crawled ontop of him and gave him a light kiss on his lips. When she was going to pull away to curl up in his arms again, he stopped her, and kissed her again, pulling her head closer with his hand. When he finally was satisified with the deep kiss, he released his hold, and she broke their liplock, panting a little bit, her cheeks extremely red. She smiled. "There's only one thing wrong, Kyo." She said, seriously.

"What is it?" He asked, worried, sitting up. She looked at him, with an odd look, like he was an idiot for not realizing it. He then thought about, and then smacked his head with his hand, and fell back to the roof, his head hitting it with a loud bang. "Kagura!"

-----------------------------------------THE END---o.O-------or is it?-------------------------------------------


End file.
